Tragic Shooting Near United Center: 67-Year-Old Man Dead, Two Individuals in Custody

CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago police have detained two individuals for questioning following the fatal shooting of a 67-year-old man near the United Center on Tuesday afternoon.

The tragic incident unfolded just before 1 p.m. in front of a residential building on the Near West Side, at the intersection of West Madison and South Leavitt streets, according to police reports.

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Authorities stated that two armed suspects approached the victim on the bustling street, which is in close proximity to a fire station and a public library. The assailants brandished handguns and fired multiple shots.

Julie Losch, a resident in the area, recounted hearing several gunshots during the incident.

“I heard about four or five shots,” Losch shared. “I stepped out onto my balcony and saw police arriving almost instantly. It took a little longer for the ambulances to arrive.”

The shooting prompted a large police response, in part because there was initially an emergency call to assist responding officers, ABC7 is told.

Whether officers were nearby when the shooting happened was not immediately clear, but no officers were injured in the shooting.

Witnesses said first responders performed CPR on the victim, who was shot in the head. But the man was transported to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His identity was not immediately released.

“There’s people going to work, walking around. There’s a couple schools down the block, you know, a lot of families walking their kids, so yeah, it’s kind of disturbing,” said neighborhood resident Mike Ramirez. “It’s just concerning that, especially during daylight, you know, anything can happen.”

Police remained on the scene until about 4 p.m. Officials cordoned off a long stretch of Madison Street between Leavitt Street and Hoyne Avenue for hours.

Area detectives are investigating. Police did not immediately offer a motive for the shooting or release more details about what led to the gunfire.

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