28-year-old man shot, killed steps away from Lincoln Park home identified, neighbors on edge

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A man was shot and killed Wednesday night in Lincoln Park.

The shooting took place at about 9:20 p.m. in the 800-block of West Lill Avenue, Chicago police said.

Close friends of the victim told ABC7 he was from the Philadelphia-area but was living and working in Chicago. In fact, he was just steps away from his Lincoln Park home when he was shot and killed.

It's been a difficult day for the community in Lincoln Park with many people clearly shaken up by the shooting that happened right in front of their homes.

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Officers responded to a report of a person shot and found a 28-year-old man on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the chest, police said.

The man was transported to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

The victim was later identified as 28-year-old Kevin Patel by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Officer.

"Knew he was shot, so went and grabbed towels and got down here as fast as I could," Garrett Moores said.

It's something Moores has never had to do. He saw a 28-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound and immediately rendered aid with the help of his neighbor while 911 was on the phone guiding them through it all.

"They were able to talk me through what I should be doing, compressing his chest, keeping him awake, keeping him breathing a certain way," Moores said.

Even in the face of violent bloodshed, there was still some hope for a fellow neighbor's survival.

"We did everything we could to make sure that he got in that ambulance safely, and we hoped we did the best thing we could do in the situation," Moores said.

The man's death difficult thing to process for Moores, knowing he was there in the final moments of his life.

"Knowing you're, kind of, with someone in their last moments trying to give them all the hope you can, trying to calm them down, you kind of almost, like, build a personal relationship, in a weird way, with a person," Moores said. "Yes, it was pretty devastating."

Neighbors said they are uneasy after learning of the shooting that took place yards away from 43th Ward Alderman Timmy Knudsen's office.

Alderman Knudsen sent an alert after the shooting, saying in part, "This is yet another reminder of the work we have to do as a City to combat violence. I've asked the 19th district to increase patrols in the area, and as we head into the summer, I will continue to push City Hall for the resources our Ward needs."

Neighbors said they heard when police arrived at the scene.

"We came out and checked and they had all this roped off," a Lincoln Park resident named Clara said. "There was crime scene markers, It looks straight out of what you would see in a movie."

Items could be seen scattered on the ground at the scene and officers used flashlights as they looked for evidence.

"I did see a package down there and there was a sweatshirt on the ground inside the crime scene, but that's all we saw," Clara said.

The violence is surprising many who live in the neighborhood.

"Definitely a little bit of system shock, we think generally this a safe and nice neighborhood," a Lincoln Park resident named Christopher said. "But then to see all the reports of what's happening in real time... alarming for us."

"Everyone is a little on edge around here early in the morning," Lincoln Park resident Joanne Moss said. "It is so hard to pick the bad guys and who they are and how to they get to where they are."

Witnesses told investigators they saw a man and woman running from the scene before police arrived. So far, police said no one has been arrested and investigators have yet to give a motive behind the shooting

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