Chicago Police Supt. David Brown asked for help in identifying a shooter who killed two men and wounded two others Monday afternoon in the South Shore neighborhood.
The gunman, wearing a hood and a mask, fired shots from a bicycle that killed the men, ages 32 and 23.
“We are asking the community for help in coming forward with any information,” Brown said at a news conference Tuesday at police headquarters.
He pointed to a tip line that can lead to cash rewards of up to $15,000 for any information leading to charges. Tips may be left anonymously at 833-408-0069.
“We cannot and we will not let violence become commonplace in the city of Chicago,” Brown said.
Brendan Deenihan, the department’s chief of detectives, said investigators “strongly believe” people in the neighborhood know who was behind the shooting.
He said it wasn’t yet clear if the reason for the shooting was personal or gang related.
Brown also touched on staffing challenges within the police department.
“We have somewhere around 1,100 vacancies,” he said.
He said two main reasons behind the issue were a temporary freeze on offering police exams during the pandemic and a higher rate of officer attrition during the pandemic — problems that have both eased.
More than 200 recruits are in the city’s police academy, he said.
And a recruiting effort at job fairs and colleges and universities is underway.
The police department has also waived a requirement of 60 college credit hours for applicants with experience in a variety of fields, including the trades, health care and social services. The exemption previously was carved out only for people with military experience.
“We have work to do, but the sky is not falling,” Brown said.
