Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Man Shot in the Face on West Side

By  Emily Morris and Darryl Holliday | February 18, 2013 1:18pm | Updated on February 18, 2013 4:39pm

EAST GARFIELD PARK — A man was shot in the face on the West Side Monday morning, cops said.

The 20-year-old, identified by his grandmother as Brandon Finley, was driving northbound on the 700 block of South Washtenaw Avenue around 11:30 when he was hit.

Finley's car struck a wall with such force that its license plate stuck in the wall after authorities towed it away. A visible crack could be seen in the wall's foundation.

"That was my grandson," Norma Parker, said gesturing toward the white sedan.

Parker was at work when she received the call that Finley was shot. Before leaving for the hospital she noted that he was in stable condition.

Residents say they heard two shots fired, one described it as "the sound of lumber falling."

Ronald Walker has lived in the area for 20 years and said the violence is getting worse. Four of his cousins and three of his brothers were killed by gun violence, his youngest brother was shot near Sacramento and Lexington in June 2011, he said.

"I've probably known at least 50 people who've been shot — I think about my baby brother everytime one of these young guys gets killed," he said after some thought. "They shoot guns in their spare time like a sport — like going to a gun range."

Within eyesight of the police tape surrounding Finley's car, Walker pointed to a fence where nearly a dozen trinkets were posted.

"That's another shooting that happened around 3½ years ago," he said. "The mom still comes out here to keep up the memorial."

Another resident who heard the shots but refused to be identified said she fears for her 20-year-old son, who she says walks this route to school.

"The police know exactly who has the guns, " she said, "they need to just go to those homes and kick their doors in — that's how to get this done with, kick those doors in — like, surprise!"

Finley was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, Estrada said.

A trail of blood could be seen leading from the vehicle to a nearby sidewalk, suggesting he had left the car after being hit.

Three miles away at 10:45 a.m., a man was shot in the thigh in the 2700 block of South Trumbull Avenue. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said.