Police said the 21-year-old victim was found near LaCrosse Avenue and Grove Street.
SKOKIE, IL — A 21-year-old man was found shot multiple times early Tuesday near LaCrosse Avenue and Grove Street in Skokie and later died at a hospital, police said.
Skokie police opened a homicide investigation after officers were called at 6:19 a.m. May 19 for a report of a person shot. The case drew officers, paramedics and the North Regional Violent Crimes Task Force to a residential area north of Dempster Street. Police said there was no known threat to the public, but no arrest had been announced by late Tuesday.
Officers arrived in the area of LaCrosse Avenue and Grove Street and found the man with several gunshot wounds, according to police. Emergency personnel gave first aid at the scene before taking him to a nearby hospital. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said he was pronounced dead at 7:36 a.m. Police had not released his name by late Tuesday, and officials had not said whether investigators knew a motive or had identified a suspect.
The shooting happened in a neighborhood made up largely of two-story townhomes and apartment buildings. Yellow police tape remained around trees near the intersection hours after the morning call. Several squad cars were parked near the blocked area as officers worked the scene. Ben Deleon, who lives nearby, said he heard three loud booms outside his apartment and then went to look. “This neighborhood is getting bad,” Deleon said after seeing the police response.
Deleon said he saw a man lying in the road in the 9000 block of LaCrosse Avenue near a parked vehicle. Video he recorded showed a man on his back as people gathered nearby and police vehicles arrived with blue lights flashing. Another neighbor, Syed Jaffrey, said he had lived in the area for 21 years and had not seen a shooting there before. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Jaffrey said.
Police described the case as active and said the North Regional Violent Crimes Task Force was helping Skokie detectives. The task force assists local police departments in the northern suburbs on serious violent crime cases, including homicides. Investigators had not released the number of shots fired, whether a weapon was recovered or whether the victim was shot where he was found. Those details remained unknown as officers continued their review of the scene.
The shooting marked a rare homicide investigation for Skokie. Village police data reviewed by local media showed the department averaged about one homicide a year over the past decade. No murders were documented in 2023 or 2024. The department investigated one homicide in 2022 and two in 2021. The new case brought a large police presence to a morning commuter area near homes, sidewalks and parked cars.
Skokie police said their early investigation found “no known threat to the public.” No charges had been filed, and officials had not announced a news conference or court hearing connected to the case. The next steps include identifying the victim publicly, completing the medical examiner’s review and collecting witness accounts, video and physical evidence from the area around LaCrosse Avenue and Grove Street.
The investigation remained open Wednesday morning. Police had released only basic details: the time of the call, the location, the victim’s age, the multiple gunshot wounds and the hospital death. The next major update is expected when authorities release the victim’s name or announce an arrest.
Author note: Last updated May 20, 2026.