Chicago Double Homicide
Two Men Killed in Rare Shooting on Previously Peaceful Northwest Chicago Residential Block
Key Points
The Irving Woods block on West Cahill Terrace has an unusually quiet crime history, with city records showing fewer than 130 crimes in 25 years and no incidents logged since December 27.
Witnesses described a range of shooter counts, with some accounts indicating one shooter, others two, and some three involved in the daytime shooting.
Police recovered rifle casings and a firearm at the scene, and the victims were found in the rear of a residence on the 7800 block of West Cahill Terrace.
The two victims were taken to Lutheran General Hospital, with a 20-year-old killed and the other man, believed to be about 21, reported in critical condition.
As of around 7 p.m., no one was in custody and investigators were reviewing multiple eyewitness descriptions of the shooters, including an account of a Hispanic man in a brown hoodie seen fleeing on Addison Street.
Two men were shot and killed Thursday afternoon behind a home on the 7800 block of West Cahill Terrace in Chicago's Dunning neighborhood, according to Chicago Police Department. The victims — a 20-year-old and a man believed to be about 21 — were found with multiple gunshot wounds around 3:30 p.m. No one is in custody.
The shooting stunned a block that CWB Chicago reports has logged fewer than 130 total crimes in 25 years. Before Thursday, the 16th Police District had recorded just one murder in all of 2026. In a single afternoon, that number tripled.
A Quiet Block Shattered by Rifle Fire
Neighbor Andy Jekiel was sitting on his deck when the shooting started. "I heard an argument going on, and all of a sudden, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop! I thought it was fireworks," he told CBS News Chicago. Officers from the 16th District arrived within minutes and found both victims collapsed behind a residential building.
Police recovered rifle casings and a firearm at the scene, according to CWB Chicago. The presence of rifle casings stood out to crime analysts, who noted it signals heavier firepower than the handguns typically used in Chicago street violence. Paramedics rushed both victims to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where both later died.
Witness Accounts Conflict on Number of Shooters
Early reports from multiple outlets varied sharply on how many people fired shots. Some eyewitnesses described one shooter. Others said two or three people fled the scene, according to CBS News Chicago. The chaos reflects what happens when residents in a low-crime area are suddenly thrust into a violent crime scene.
Investigators circulated one early description: a Hispanic man in a brown hoodie seen running from the scene on Addison Street, CWB Chicago reported. Detectives from Area Five are reviewing Ring doorbell footage from homes on the block. As of 7 p.m. Thursday, no arrests had been made.
Alderman Points to One 'Problem' Apartment on the Block
Alderman Nicholas Sposato of the 38th Ward said there is a specific "problem" apartment on the block where a prior shooting occurred. But he cautioned that a direct link to Thursday's killings has not been confirmed. "It is my understanding the two young men who died did not live at that apartment," Sposato told Nadig Newspapers.
City records show the block recorded zero crimes since December 27, according to Nadig Newspapers. Police told Sposato they believe the shooting was isolated and that no wider conflict is brewing in the neighborhood. Still, residents near Hiawatha Park — where children were playing at the time of the shooting — described the scene as "horrifying," CBS News Chicago reported.
Violence Spreads to Chicago's Safest Corners in 2026
The Dunning shooting fits a troubling citywide pattern. Chicago homicides are up 8.3% through April 2026 compared to the same period last year, according to CPD Public Safety Report data cited by researchers. Critics argue that violence once confined to specific neighborhoods is now reaching the city's quietest blocks.
Cook County's Medical Examiner had not released the victims' names as of Friday morning. Detectives are testing the recovered firearm to see if it connects to other recent shootings across the city, according to CWB Chicago. The investigation remains open.
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