Man and woman shot and killed during quarrel on the road in Belmont Cragin; violent crime up in community
CHICAGO (CBS)-- Police late Thursday were trying to determine whether road rage led to dozens of shots being fired into a car in Belmont Cragin – killing a couple inside.
Police said a 32-year-old man and 31-year-old woman were driving on the 2500 block of North Lamon Avenue, near Wrightwood Avenue, just before 6 a.m. An unidentified person, who was driving in front of them, got out of their car and approached.
Police said there was a verbal quarrel between the offender and male victim before the offender fired shots in the vehicle.
Both victims were shot multiple times and were pronounced dead at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medeical Center. CBS 2's Mugo Odigwe reported seeing bullet holes in the victim's car and at least 26 evidence markers on the ground.
As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported, shootings in the Belmont Cragin area are up this year – and they were up last year too.
"They're shooting again they're still shooting," said Jonathan De La O, a pastor at a nearby church who lives nearby.
De La O spoke out on behalf of his neighbors – one of whom who shielded his child in their home, feet from the shooting.
"He heard the gunshot and immediately covered his son," De La O said, "and after a while he heard another few rounds. He covered his son again and pushed him against the wall."
De La O said he and his family heard the gunshots too.
"My wife was woken up and my daughter was," he said. "She thought it was fireworks."
De La O's wife thought that because there were so many shots.
Scanner audio indicated that the shooter had on all black clothes and was in a black sport-utility vehicle, and fled north on Lamon Avenue.
The deadly shootings mark an uptick in violent crime in Belmont Cragin. We ran the numbers and charted them, so you can see for yourself.
There have been six people shot in the community so far this year. Last year during the same timeframe, two people were shot - with 41 shootings in the community area in all of 2021.
That amounts to a 64-percent increase since 2019.
"It's been close by, but not this close," De La O said.
De La O told us people who live here are noticing the uptick - and that was before the people on this street dialed 911 and shielded their children this morning.
"There definitely needs to be a change in something," he said.
A prayer service for the victims was held Thursday evening.
Police late Thursday had only this statement: "The incident is in the early stages of the investigation. No additional information is available at this time."
