Witnesses said it began as a party, but a shooting on the Near West Side of Chicago early Saturday left one man dead and two security guards wounded, according to police.
The three were shot around 3:40 a.m. in the 1300 block of W Hastings in the University Village neighborhood, according to police. Authorities did not have a clear narrative of what happened leading up to the shooting, but many residents of the ABLA-Robert Brooks Homes housing complex say the security guards are to blame.
Multiple people were gathered outside, enjoying the warm weather, witnesses told NBC 5, when security guards with the Kates Detective Agency pulled up and someone opened fire.
"I hear everybody, 'He got shot! He got shot! Lisa's son got shot!'" said ABLA homes resident Mary Morris.
A 24-year-old man was shot in the head and pronounced dead on the scene, according to police. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office did not immediately confirm the fatality, but friends and family identified him as Eric Knox. His nickname was Bubba, and his friends say he was an innocent victim.
"A lot of guys are very angry with the security firm,” said Lola Baggett, who lives in the housing complex. "It's not your job to kill anybody."
"They don't know their jobs," family friend Cierra Nelson said. "They are security guards. Not police officers."
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Friends took Knox to the University of Illinois Hospital, hoping to save his life, but it was too late. At least one of the security guards drove himself to the 12th District police station, and both were taken to Stroger Hospital where their conditions stablized, police said. A 29-year-old man was shot in both thighs, his hand and his forearm, while a 30-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the hand.
At ABLA homes, friends put up a memorial for Knox, saying he was a good guy known by everyone there.
"I've been knowing him since he was young," Morris added. "Now he is 25 years old, but he's gone."
Friends say with their sadness comes frustration over what happened with the security company that patrols the housing complex.
"I would pull them away from the scene, 'cause there are lot of angry black people here," Baggett said.
"They need to go, 'cause it's not that serious that you have to take someone’s life," Nelson added.
Kates Detective Agency did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Police said no one is in custody, and they are awaiting autopsy results to help them with the ongoing investigation.
