1 killed, another critical after shootout in front of Chicago Near West Side hot dog stand
CHICAGO (CBS) — One man was killed, and another was wounded, in a shootout Tuesday night in front of a famous hot dog stand in the University Village neighborhood, right near the University of Illinois Chicago campus.
Witnesses said bullets were flying—not only hitting the victims, but also Jim's Original hot dog stand, 1250 S. Union Ave.
Hours after the shootout, it was business as usual at Jim's Original—which has been around since 1939 and is famous as the inaugural Maxwell Street Polish sausage stand. The three bullet holes in the hot dog stand building were already patched up by the afternoon.
Betty Domagala is the manager of Jim's Original, and has worked there for 30 years.
"This is the worst, but I mean, we're still OK. Nothing's really happening," said Domagala. "It's just all around us, the crime."
CBS News Chicago checked Chicago Police crime data in the University Village area. Seven people were killed up until this date in 2023, while so far, five have been this year.
Domagala said she was not present when the shooting happened, but watched surveillance video and described what she saw. She could not share the video.
"They were walking from the south side in our direction, got into an altercation, and this is what the outcome is," Domagala said.
Chicago Police said around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, a man in a dark-colored sport-utility vehicle and a man in a red sedan got out of their cars and started shooting at each other.
A 19-year-old man in the SUV was hit in the chest. He was taken to Rush University Medical Center and transferred to Stroger Hospital of Cook County in critical condition.
Another man was hit in the face, and died at Stroger.
Nearby, a parked silver car was left riddled with several bullet holes. The driver's side window was shattered.
A witness who didn't want to be identified related what they saw.
"I saw a red car pull up and then two people got out and they started shooting, and after they finished they, pulled out and stopped right in the corner—and the guy got out and started walking," the witness said. "The guy who got shot, he got killed."
Jim's Original is also known for its pork chop sandwiches. The famed hot dog stand has been featured on "The Layover" with the late Anthony Bourdain, "Driven by Food" with Andrew Zimmern, the WTTW-Channel 11 show "Check, Please!" and "Somebody Feed Phil" with Phil Rosenthal. The hot dog stand has been at its current location at Union Avenue and James M. Rochford Street since 2005.
Late Wednesday, police said they were still investigating exactly what led to the shooting. They do not know if anyone else was involved.
