John and his sister jumped to the floor of their South Austin apartment Monday night, crouching low until the thud of gunfire was over.



When it seemed safe, they ventured outside with their aunt, mother and their small, furry Shih Tzu, leaving behind the reality show they had been watching on TV.



A young man was lying near Mason and West End avenues, just steps from their home, blood trailing from his mouth. They watched as paramedics arrived and took him to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.



The man, 19, was shot in the head around 8:50 p.m. Monday in the 200 block of North Mason Avenue on the West Side, Chicago police said. No one was in custody.



This block is generally safe, said John, who did not want to give his last name out of concern for his safety. It was his family's refuge after they moved about three years ago from K-Town, a nickname for a section of North Lawndale where streets begin with K.



The tree-lined street is a mixture of three-flats and single-family homes. Residents say only a few block separate it from the violence that has plagued South Austin.



But that was enough.



"This is a block you can stand on," said John, tugging gently on the leash of his dog.



But now John and his family wonder more violence will spill over to their block. And they wondered too about the man who was shot. Does he live around here? Is he someone's son? Someone's brother?



At 19, the same age as the wounded man, John said he has learned to be cautious. A gang member could mistake him for a rival. A cop could mistake him for a suspect.



"This is a better environment," John said of his current home. "At least I thought."



Standing a few yards away, Angela Wade, 49, nervously remarked that she walks her 12-year-old son to school through the intersection where the man had been shot.



She is a lifelong Austin resident and knows nearly everyone on this stretch of Mason Avenue.



"I'm very uncomfortable," Wade said. "This is a quiet block."



As she talked, police crisscrossed the grass with their flashlights. At regular intervals, three short raps could be heard up and down the street as police knocked on doors, looking for witnesses.



Monday was a violent day in South Austin, with three of the city's seven shootings happening within its boundaries. A fourth shooting happened in West Garfield Park, on the neighborhood's border.



There are beautiful Victorians peppered in between the apartments and small homes on her block, Wade said. Many of the residents have owned their home for decades. They have block parties and walk their dogs.



Chatting with Wade, Keisha Young wondered about walking her small dog. The 36-year-old woman doesn't let her children out to do it, but instead pays a neighbor to walk the dog. What if something happened to the neighbor?



"This," Young said, sounding frustrated, "is crazy."