A man was shot and killed Wednesday night just steps from Chicago's St. Sabina Church, hours after a crowd had gathered there for an anti-violence march.
The shooting took place at around 11:35 p.m. in the 1200 block of West 78th Place in the Gresham neighborhood on the city's South Side, according to Chicago police.
Authorities said a 23-year-old man was outside when he was shot in the chest and flagged down a passing vehicle. The driver of that car took the victim to the intersection of West 78th Street and South Racine Avenue where they found a police car parked nearby, officials said. The officers called for paramedics, according to police, and the man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
The Cook County medical examiner's office could not immediately confirm the fatality and further details, including the man's identity, were not available.
Fr. Michael Pfleger said the driver that the shooting victim flagged down was a parishioner getting into his car after leaving the church when the victim banged on the door, saying he had been shot and pleading for help.
The church had just hosted a peace rally and march beginning at around 6 p.m. to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with a crowd walking through the streets carrying candles to pay tribute to those killed by gun violence in 2019 and to hope for a brighter future.
"This violence, it’s just... it's become the norm. It's just crazy," Pfleger said, looking defeated and in disbelief as he spoke after the shooting. "This is Dr. King's birthday. We just had a peace march here tonight and somebody shot in the same night. It makes me angry and it breaks my heart and I'm just tired of it."
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No one was in custody in connection with the shooting Thursday morning, according to police, who said the investigation into the incident remained ongoing.
