A 23-year-old man found fatally shot in Grand Crossing on Friday morning apparently went undiscovered for more than 10 hours before someone called 911, according to Chicago city records.
The man was discovered in an area previously monitored by the city’s ShotSpotter gunfire detection network, which automatically notified police of suspected shooting even when no one dialed 911. Mayor Brandon Johnson terminated the city’s ShotSpotter contract in 2024.
According to Chicago police, the man was discovered unresponsive in an alley behind the 1500 block of East 72nd Place around 6:55 a.m. Friday. He got gunshot wounds and was declared dead on the scene.
Police dispatchers confirmed via radio transmissions that they had received no reports of shots fired in the area around the time the man was discovered. According to the city’s database of shooting victims, the gunshot occurred at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 1 – more than 10 hours before the victim was discovered.
Before the city terminated its ShotSpotter contract, the device automatically triangulated the locations of suspected gunfire and notified police, allowing officers to respond even when no 911 call was received.
Since the company’s contract expired following the 2024 Democratic National Convention, CWB Chicago has identified 95 incidences in which shooting victims appeared to face lengthy wait times for emergency treatment in areas formerly covered by the system. In some situations, no one called 911 to report the shooting. In others, callers provided insufficient information for investigators to rapidly find the victims.
The delays may have implications. According to HeyJackass.com data, around 21% of persons shot in Chicago this year died as a result of their injuries. In the delayed-response incidents documented by CWB Chicago, the fatality rate is approximately three times greater, at 61%.
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