A Chicago man who has been charged in connection with a shooting in the city's Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood that left two bystanders dead appeared in court on Thursday.
Trivell Pruitt, 53, of the 5500 block of West Cortland Street, faces one count of first-degree murder and a second charge of attempted first-degree murder, officials said.
At around 5:41 p.m. Monday, Chicago police officers responded to the area of 7100 South State Street for a ShotSpotter alert indicating that multiple shots had been fired, according to authorities. Upon arrival, officers located two men who had been shot.
A 59-year-old man was shot in the abdomen and rushed to the hospital where he later died, according to Chicago Police Department Deputy Chief Don Jerome.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
A second individual, a 49-year-old man, was standing at a nearby ATM when he was shot, police said. He sustained a gunshot wound to the forehead and was hospitalized in grave condition. He later was pronounced dead, according to court documents.
A preliminary investigation revealed that a dispute occurred between the suspect and another person, police said. At some point, the suspect opened fire, striking that person in the leg.
A different individual then exchanged gunfire with the suspect who initially fired shots, striking them in the leg, police said. The other individual who was shot in the leg self-transported to an area hospital, police said.
Local
The family of Simon Brown, the 59-year-old bystander killed while trying to buy a lottery ticket, is demanding answers in the wake of the shooting.
"I think it's terrible that a 59-year-old man can't go out and get lottery tickets for his wife without being murdered. That's terrible," Brown's cousin Toussaint Watson told NBC Chicago.
Brown's family revealed that he had recovered from being shot several years ago, using a cane to walk his grandchildren and others to and from school while recovering.
According to police, Pruitt was arrested several hours after the shooting had occurred.
There is currently no further information available.
