Woman, 72, shot on sidewalk on busy Broadway in East Lakeview
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An elderly woman was shot and wounded in broad daylight Thursday afternoon on busy Broadway in East Lakeview.
At 1:36 p.m., the 72-year-old woman was shot in the upper left thigh on Broadway near Briar Place, police said. The crime scene is close to Wilde Bar & Restaurant, Dance on Broadway, and the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce main office.
The woman was walking on the sidewalk when she heard shots and felt pain.
In his ward newsletter, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) reported that the shooter or shooters were driving by in a car. Tunney wrote that police do not believe the woman who was shot was the intended target.
The Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce reported the victim was awake and alert when she was taken to the hospital.
Police say a 72-year-old woman was shot while walking near Broadway and Briar in Lakeview this afternoon. Police say she was from out of town. She was shot in the upper thigh and taken to IL Masonic Hospital in good condition @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/JCdyLQ99N1
— Jackie Kostek (@JackieKostek) March 31, 2022
"We are working with CPD on obtaining footage of this senseless crime to get justice for the victim," reported the chamber. "Currently, the west side of Broadway near Briar remains taped off as an active crime scene and our office will be closed for the remainder of the afternoon."
Employees of nearby businesses said they heard one shot and came out to find the woman on the ground.
Trisha Kurtz, an employee of Johnny Sprockets bike shop at 3140 N. Broadway, told CBS 2's Jackie Kostek that the victim was with two women who appeared to be in their 30s, and a baby in a stroller.
Kurtz said she is trained in first aid. She said when she got to the woman, she asked her if it was okay if to apply dressing to the wound and compress. She did so until an ambulance arrived.
"She didn't seem upset. She seemed more concerned that the baby was crying. She was telling her niece and everything: 'I'm OK. Everything's all right,'" Kurtz said.
Ald. Tunney wrote that he was on the scene shortly after the shooting.
"I was driving on Briar near Broadway returning to my office minutes after today's shooting and was on scene shortly after the victim was placed in the ambulance. I saw the anguish and anger I felt reflected in the faces of witnesses and others in the vicinity," Tunney wrote. "The police presence after the incident was swift and significant. I am confident that with assistance of witnesses and video from nearby security cameras, the CPD will work diligently to solve these two shootings."
The scene of the shooting is less than a mile from the Happy Camper Wrigleyville at 3458 N. Clark St., outside which employee Hermilo Beltran was shot and killed this past Sunday night. There is no indication that the crimes are related.
Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce executive director Maureen Martino also called on the Cook County State's Attorney's office, the mayor, and police to seek legislative changes and keep previous offenders behind bars.
Ald. Tunney also wrote that he has repeatedly called for a greater police presence in Lakeview, and called it "unacceptable" that staffing numbers in the Town Hall (19th) police district are so low.
No one was in custody in the shooting on Broadway as of Thursday afternoon. Area Three detectives are investigating.
Ald. Tunney advised that anyone with information about the shooting on Broadway on Thursday, or the shooting that killed Beltran this past Sunday, should call Area Three detectives at (312) 744-8263 or send an anonymous tip to cpdtip.com.