James and Darlee Scott were inside their Gresham neighborhood home Saturday afternoon when up to 20 gunshots rang out, followed shortly by the sirens of multiple ambulances.
The brother and sister then went to stand outside with their neighbors to watch as paramedics worked on one of five people who were wounded in the shooting that unfolded about 3:20 p.m. in an alley off the 8600 block of South Damen Avenue, authorities said.
All five victims were in the alley when at least one gunman opened fire from a car that drove up to them and then fled, Chicago police said.
One of the victims, a 29-year-old man, later died of his injuries, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department said.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office confirmed the death, but did not release additional information.
“They was trying to save him, but he was already in a body bag,” Darlee Scott said of the person she saw paramedics treating.
Two men, ages 30 and 24, were taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition, the fire department spokesman said. A 24-year-old man was taken to the same hospital in good condition. Another 29-year-old man was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center in fair-to-serious condition, the spokesman said.
James Scott, a retired 76-year-old veteran who served two tours in Vietnam, said he was tired of hearing gunfire in his neighborhood as he watched the scene Saturday afternoon.
“I don’t wanna hear gunshots no more, I’ve had enough,” Scott said.
Area detectives were investigating.