BACK OF THE YARDS — Two men were shot, one fatally, within nine hours of each other on the same Back of the Yards block.
The first incident occurred about 2:54 p.m. Thursday as a 22-year-old man stood in the 4800 block of South Justine Street, according to Officer Jose Estrada, a Chicago Police spokesman. Two men approached and one of them opened fire, striking the victim in his left leg and right bicep. The man was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition stabilized.
Then, about 12:05 a.m. Friday, 26-year-old Jose Hernandez was gunned down as he sat on a front porch on the same street. Someone had fired shots from the sidewalk, Estrada said.
Hernandez was rushed in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:51 a.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
No one is in custody for either shooting.
On Saturday, neighbors said the residential block is usually fairly quiet. Several expressed shock that the first shooting happened in the middle of the afternoon — in broad daylight.
"I heard, like, four gunshots" just before 3 p.m., said one resident, who, like others interviewed, didn't want to be named for fear of retaliation. "But we didn't know if they were fireworks or gunshots.
"Two shootings in one day?" the woman continued. "It's crazy. This block is usually calm. Maybe you hear shootings on other blocks, over there," she said gesturing east. "But not here."
Hernandez's family declined to comment on Saturday.
"He was a nice guy," one neighbor said, adding that she didn't know Hernandez well and wasn't sure why he was shot. "He always said 'hi' to us."
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