2 Dead, 1 Wounded in Separate Shootings on Eisenhower Expressway Hours Apart

Hours after a shooting on the westbound Eisenhower Expressway left a man dead and a woman wounded, another person has been killed in a shooting on the eastbound lanes of the expressway.

Illinois State Police said the shooting happened just after noon Thursday on Interstate 290 in the eastbound lanes near the exit ramp to Central Avenue.

A passenger was shot in a vehicle and transported by the driver to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

Family members, through tears, identified the victim as 22-year-old Devon Almon. They said he had just left court with a friend, who was driving, when they were followed and someone shot into their car. 

The female driver was not injured, police said. 

The eastbound exit ramp at Central Avenue was shut down for roughly two hours as police investigated. 

Earlier Thursday morning, a Chicago rapper was killed and a woman injured, in a shooting that shut down the Eisenhower Expressway for hours near Chicago's East Garfield Park neighborhood. 

Just before 6 a.m., ISP officers responded to reports of shots being fired in the westbound lanes of I-290 near Laramie Avenue, officials said.

Two people, a man and a woman, riding in a white SUV were shot, according to police. The victims were found by police at Flournoy Street and Lockwood Avenue in Chicago and both were transported to Stroger Hospital.

The man was pronounced dead and the woman was listed in critical condition.

Family members identified the man as 22-year-old Johnathon Ortiz, a rapper who goes by the name of John Doe. Ortiz is known for his performances at venues that include the House of Blues and was on his way home after getting food with his girlfriend Alexis Garcia when someone opened fire, his family said. 

All westbound I-290 lanes from California to Central were shut down as state police searched for shell casings and investigated the shooting. The lanes were expected to remain closed for several hours during the morning rush. 

Police said there have been seven shootings on I-290 since January 1, including the two shootings from Thursday. In total, there have been 41 shootings on Chicago-area expressways so far this year. That's compared to 39 total shootings on expressways in 2015. 

The Illinois Department of Transporation said about 200,000 people use the Eisenhower Expressway each day. 

Check back for details on this developing story.

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