The assistant basketball coach of a high school on Chicago's west side was in surgery at midday Thursday after being shot hours earlier as he sat in his car, officials said.
Shawn Harrington, 38, was in his vehicle at about 7:45 near West Augusta Boulevard and North Hamlin Avenue when someone walked up and shot him up to six times. Harrington, a coach at John Marshall Metropolitan High School, was hit in the back and left side, police say.
Harrington was taken to a local hospital where he was initially listed in stable condition, but his condition was later downgraded to critical. Friends and family say he's not able to feel his legs.
Marshall varsity coach Henry Cotton said he was texting with Harrington (pictured, right) 5 minutes before the shooting.
"He was just letting me know that he was on his way," Cotton said. "It was like every other morning, we were just talking like we always do."
Cotton said all coaches must be at the school by 7:45 a.m. and Harrington had never been late.
Students describe Harrington as a popular presence at the school.
"He was a great coach. If a basketball player got in trouble, he gave them their consequences and stuff. He was real nice," student Lyquinta Kinsey said.
Police are hoping video from the grocery store on that Humbolt park corner will help them identify the shooter.
Harrington attended Marshall-Metro and played for the basketball team that was later portrayed in the 1994 Academy Award nominated documentary "Hoop Dreams."
Harrington's family believes his shooting was a case of mistaken identity.
