A 20-year-old man who was shot while trying to stop carjackers who tried to steal his sister's car in Austin early Monday was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The attack happened around 2 a.m. in the 1500 block of North Leander Street, just outside the home where the siblings live, according to Chicago police and the man's sister, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
The 25-year-old woman said her brother was carrying one of her children home while she parked her car. When she went out to check whether she had parked the car correctly, four people, whom she had seen in a nearby alley, ambushed her, beat her and threatened her with a gun.
“Then I just ran out of the way because they pointed the gun at me,” the woman told the Sun-Times, adding that two of her children were still in the car when the attackers began fleeing in her 2011 Volkswagen sedan.
“They were about to drive off in my car, and I was like, ‘I can have the car, I just want my kids,’” she said, adding that her brother tried to help her while the attackers were “kicking my kids out.” From the car” and that's when he was shot.
Her sister said that her brother was shot in the chest, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. He is scheduled to undergo surgery within the next two days to remove the bullet.
“I think he will be fine,” she said, describing her brother as “a nice, outgoing person who never tells anyone ‘no’.”
There is no one in custody. District 5 detectives are investigating.
On Monday afternoon, a community outreach team from the Chicago Nonviolence Institute scoured the area where the attack occurred, distributing flyers with information for those affected by the violence. They also hoped to reach out to the shooting victim and offer him assistance, perhaps with his medical bills or recovery time.
Violence “is like a disease, so we have to stop its transmission any way we can,” said Tavares Harrington, outreach supervisor for the Chicago Nonviolence Institute for the Austin area, adding that the team tries to build relationships within the community and maintain trust. Construction events.
“We're just trying to give back and help,” Harrington said. “Keep the peace.”
