LINCOLN SQUARE — A man was fatally shot in his head in a McDonald's parking lot in Lincoln Square Monday night, police said.
Friends and family waited at the scene as the man, 25, lay dead in a dark blue BMW sedan. They burst into tears when police confirmed the man's identity nearly an hour later.
The shooting occurred just after 7 p.m. in the 4900 block of North Lincoln Avenue, police said. The man was pronounced dead on the scene about 7:15 p.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
As police conducted their investigation Monday night, the victim could still be seen sitting in the BMW in the parking lot up to two hours after the shooting.
Police said the man was sitting in the car when a gunman or multiple gunmen approached the car and opened fire before fleeing the scene. The 25-year-old was shot in his head.
Police believe the shooting could be related to a drug deal, and sources said the 25-year-old man was a documented gang member and convicted felon.
No one was in custody in connection with the shooting as of early Tuesday morning.
Monday night, Steven, 36, who did not want his last name revealed, said he witnessed an argument take place in the parking lot about 15 minutes before the shooting. He didn't witness the gunfire but said a man and a woman could be seen arguing loudly in and around the BMW.
"There was a guy and a girl flipping out. He was yelling at her," Steven said. "But I couldn't tell if it they were fighting or panicked."
Steven said he watched as the man grabbed the woman. The woman later took her jacket from the vehicle before she and the man walked to the nearby McDonald's, leaving the car door open and its lights on. The witness said he did not see the aftermath.
At the scene, a family member recognized the victim's car and waited tearfully for confirmation as her kids sat in the backseat of their car.
The victim's family, including a man who identified the victim as his "little brother," later burst into tears, huddling close together for support as they were given the grim news by police.
"That's my little brother," one of the men could be heard repeatedly saying.
Residents on Monday said they were surprised at the North Side shooting, but still felt safe in the neighborhood.
"Three people could've been killed and I would still think this is a safe neighborhood," said Mario Salamanca, who has lived nearby for a year.
Chris Tondini, 32, a resident of about six years, agreed and hoped Monday's shooting was an isolated incident.
"I definitely don't remember anything like this happening," he said. "But it seems like an isolated incident in a small area — I'd be more freaked out if it were on the sidewalk on Western."
