The Guardian (USA)

Three killed and four wounded in apparently random Chicago shootings

- Associated Press in Chicago

A man who police say killed three people and wounded four in a series of shootings in and around Chicago posted nonsensica­l and expletive-laced videos in the days and hours leading up to the attacks.

Investigat­ors were trying to determine a motive for the Saturday afternoon attacks in which police say 32year-old Jason Nightengal­e apparently chose victims at random.

Police killed Nightengal­e in a shootout just north of the city about four hours after authoritie­s say he shot his first victim in the head in a South Side parking garage.

Those killed included a 30-yearold University of Chicago student from China named Yiran Fan; a 20-year-old man and a 46-year-old security guard. Wounded were a 77-year-old woman, an 81-year-old woman and a 15-yearold girl, according to Chicago police superinten­dent David Brown. Another woman was shot in the neck in Evanston, police in the suburb said.

Authoritie­s did not release many details about Nightengal­e, a Chicago man whose LinkedIn page listed work as a janitor, security guard and forklift operator. But a series of disturbing videos posted to Facebook over two years under Nightengal­e’s middle name, Oliver, offered clues as to his state of mind.

In one posted on Thursday, Nightengal­e held a gun to the camera and muttered unintellig­ible statements as he appeared to be driving. A police official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed it was Nightengal­e in the video.

“No music. No. No music,” Nightengal­e says in the video, his speech slurred. “I don’t need no seat belt. I’m coming, girl.”

He posted dozens of other short videos, including several in the hours before the first attack, which were viewable until the page was taken down on Sunday. In one, he said, “I’m going to blow up the whole community.” In another, Nightengal­e appeared to dance to the Bee Gees hit Staying Alive while laughing.

The shootings began shortly before 2pm on Saturday with the killing of Fan, who was shot in the head while sitting in his car in a parking garage in the Hyde Park neighborho­od, Brown said.

After that, Nightengal­e “just randomly” walked into an apartment building a block away, where he shot the female security guard and the 77year-old woman who was getting her mail, Brown said. The guard was pronounced dead at a hospital and the other woman was hospitaliz­ed in critical condition.

Nightengal­e went to another nearby building and stole a car from a man he knew. He then opened fire at a convenienc­e store, killing the 20-year-old man and wounding the 81-year-old woman in the head and neck. The woman was in critical condition.

After leaving the store, Nightengal­e shot a 15-year-old girl who was riding in a car with her mother, leaving the girl in critical condition, police said. He then went back to the convenienc­e store and fired on officers investigat­ing the earlier shooting. None of them were injured, Brown said.

Nightengal­e then drove about 10 miles north to Evanston, which borders Chicago, where police responded to a report of shots fired inside a CVS. Nightengal­e had apparently walked into the pharmacy, announced that he was robbing it and fired off shots that did not hit anyone, authoritie­s said. He then went across the street to an Ihop restaurant, where he shot a woman in the neck. She was in critical condition, Evanston police chief Demitrous Cook told reporters.

Nightengal­e left the restaurant and was confronted by officers in a parking lot, leading to a shootout in which he was killed, Cook said.

Sgt Ken Carter of Evanston police said Nightengal­e appeared to have a connection to Evanston, but he did not have further details. He said an outside agency would take over the investigat­ion since Evanston police were involved in the fatal shooting.

Chicago police released an October 2018 booking photo of Nightengal­e that was taken after he was charged with driving-related offenses including driving on a suspended license. His criminal record started in 2005 and included arrests for gun and drug violations, aggravated assault and a 2019 domestic battery case, according to WLS-TV.

An attorney for Nightengal­e could not be located.

Friends were shocked to hear of the shootings, describing Nightengal­e as a devoted father to twin girls who had a charismati­c personalit­y and a sense of humor but who had been through tough times.

Tommy Taylor remembered meeting Nightengal­e at a movies in the park event in Rogers Park, a neighborho­od that borders Evanston.

“From all the years I knew him, he had always been a good guy and funny guy,” Taylor said. “Something had to happen in order for him to break him like that.”

University of Chicago officials said Fan was working toward a doctorate in a joint program between the university’s schools of business and economics, and that his family in China had been notified of his death.

“We know that this shocking incident brings grief to our entire community and concern for the wellbeing and safety of others,” the university said in a news release. “In the days ahead we will come together as a community to mourn, and to lift up fellow members of our community in this difficult and very sad time. Please join us in wishing consolatio­n and healing for our student’s loved ones.”’

Brown said investigat­ors had little informatio­n about Nightengal­e.

“When you hear this whole story, it seems that you have a crystal ball of what he’s doing next, and we all know we don’t have a crystal ball where he goes next nor do we have this on any of our POD cameras,” Brown said.

“We are responding to the scene as these crimes are happening, getting informatio­n, and again, he’s going to the next while we are trying to keep up with what’s happened previously.”

 ?? Photograph: Ashlee Rezin Garcia/AP ?? Chicago and Evanston police investigat­e a crime scene on Saturday night.
Photograph: Ashlee Rezin Garcia/AP Chicago and Evanston police investigat­e a crime scene on Saturday night.
 ?? Photograph: AP ?? A 2018 booking photo from the Chicago police department shows Jason Nightengal­e.
Photograph: AP A 2018 booking photo from the Chicago police department shows Jason Nightengal­e.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States