CHICAGO, IL – In a tragic turn of events, 59-year-old father Simon Brown was killed after being caught in the crossfire of a shooting on Chicago’s South Side. According to his family, Brown was making a quick trip to the corner store to buy his wife a lottery ticket when he was fatally shot.
The incident occurred in the city’s greater Grand Crossing neighborhood around 5:45 p.m., turning a verbal altercation into a shootout. Besides Brown, three others, including one of the alleged shooters, were injured in the gunfire near 71st and State streets.
Upon a ShotSpotter gunfire alert, Chicago police found two victims at the scene: Brown and another innocent bystander critically wounded by a gunshot to the head near an ATM. Another person, shot in the leg during the shooting, arrived at a local hospital and was reported to be in good condition.
Later, one of the possible shooters was discovered nearby with a leg wound. However, police are still looking for a second alleged shooter who fled, and they hope security camera footage from the area can assist in their identification and search.
Alderman William Hall of the 6th Ward expressed commitment to fight gun violence and has scheduled a meeting with residents, faith leaders, and local business owners to create a strategy to counteract violent crime in their neighborhood.
Coupled with this fight is the grieving of the Brown family, who, while seeking justice, are also searching for answers in the untimely death of their loved one, a husband and father.