Teen Fatally Shot On Milwaukee Avenue In Wicker Park Wednesday Night
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Mar 10, 2016 3:18PM
Updated 9:50 a.m.: A teenager was fatally shot in the head near Wicker Park's main drag Wednesday evening, authorities said.
The 19-year-old man was walking in the 1200 block of North Milwaukee Avenue, not far from the Division Street CTA Blue Line Station, when he was shot around 6:05 p.m. The man, identified by the Tribune as Cesar Perez of nearby Noble Square, was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, where he was pronounced dead shortly after the shooting, according to police.
A police spokeswoman told Chicagoist that no one is in custody for the shooting as of Thursday morning, and Area North detectives are investigating. In the shooting, a man walked up to Perez and fired multiple shots at him, striking him in the stomach and head. Investigators believe the shooting was gang-related.
Authorities say the shooter fled on foot on Ashland Avenue, according to Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd).
"Police have responded in full force, and have increased patrols in the surrounding neighborhood," Hopkins wrote on Facebook Wednesday evening. "A joint investigation between two police districts, the 12th and 14th, is ongoing and will continue in the days ahead."
Hopkins said the suspect has been described as a Hispanic man, about 150 lbs. and 5'7" tall, wearing a red Chicago Bulls jacket.
"The victim was a known gang member, and this appears to be a targeted shooting," Hopkins' post added.
Perez's death was one of several tragic shootings overnight Wednesday to Thursday—an unseasonably warm March night with temperatures in the 60s. And at least two people were killed and 19 others wounded in Chicago gun violence overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, according to the Tribune.
Another young man was recently attacked—but not shot—with a pistol near the Division Blue Line stop as well. In that incident, a man was reportedly hit in the head with a handgun used as a baton, on Feb. 21 in the 1200 block of North Ashland Avenue.