









by BRIAN NADIG

Two men were shot multiple times Tuesday night, Sept. 18, in separate incidents in Jefferson Park and Portage Park, including a possible drug deal which may have gone awry , according to police.

A 28-year-old man reportedly was in the backseat of a vehicle in the 5300 block of West Leland Avenue at about 8:50 p.m. when he was shot in the left arm, chest, abdomen and both legs, according to police. The man was in critical condition at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, police said.

Two handguns have been recovered at the scene, police said.

16th (Jefferson Park) District commander William Looney said that the incident remains under investigation but that there are preliminary indications that it could have been drug-related.

Looney said that there have been several calls for service in recent months in the 5300 block of Leland, including an April 18 incident of shots fired from a vehicle toward another vehicle and a report of drinking on the public way. A surveillance camera captured the April incident.

Police also looking into the possibility that some of the problems on the block could be related to a home there, Looney said. The man who was shot reportedly does not live in the area.

Meanwhile, shortly before midnight a 23-year-old man was reported shot while he was driving in the 5800 block of West Addison Street, police said. The driver who was shot then sped away, but his vehicle eventually crashed into the rear wall of a nearby CVS Pharmacy, 3615 N. Central Ave., police said.

The driver then ran to Community First Medical Center, 5645 W. Addison St., from which he was later transported in serious condition to Illinois Masonic Hospital, according to police. The man had gunshot wounds to his head, right arm and right armpit, police said.

The gunshots reportedly came from another vehicle which had pulled up next to the man’s vehicle, police said. A female passenger in the man’s car was injured from the crash, police said.

There is a preliminary indication that the shooting could be road-rage related, but it remains under investigation, police said.

Updated at 1:19pm CST 9-19-18