Copyright Chicago Tribune
Just hours after Little Village residents and federal immigration agents engaged in another series of tense confrontations, an armed robbery at a jewelry store on 26th Street left two men dead Saturday evening, officials said. Shortly before 6 p.m., a man walked into a jewelry store in the 3800 block of West 26th Street and pulled out a gun before making off with an unknown amount of stolen goods, according to Chicago police. Two store employees, a 63-year-old man and a 25-year-old man, chased the suspect outside onto 26th Street, according to CPD reports obtained by the Tribune. It was then that the suspect opened fire, fatally striking both men. The older man was also armed with a Glock handgun, and he fired at least one round before the gun jammed, police said. Responding CPD officers found both men lying on the sidewalk, shot several times. Surveillance footage from a nearby business showed the suspect fleeing the area in a white SUV. No one was in custody for the shooting as of Monday, and Cook County Crime Stoppers has offered a $10,000 reward for information on the shooting. The victims’ identities weren’t released as of Monday. A review of Chicago police scanner audio detailed that at least three people called 911 to report the shooting. Last week, the Tribune reported a steep drop in 911 calls in Chicago since the start of “Operation Midway Blitz” in early September. The decrease in 911 calls so far this year is sharpest in CPD’s Ogden District, which covers the Little Village and North Lawndale neighborhoods. Citywide, violent crime is down sharply compared to 2024, and Little Village has seen a nearly 50% year-over-year decline in fatal and non-fatal shootings, CPD records show. Saturday’s fatal gunfire erupted less than a mile from where, earlier that day, Little Village residents once again clashed with agents of Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol, led by Cmdr. Gregory Bovino. Throughout much of Saturday morning, Little Village neighbors and community leaders trailed a caravan of immigration agents as they carried out more enforcement actions in the neighborhood, home to the largest contingent of Mexican Americans in the city. Immigration officials called the city’s 911 center that morning to report that someone had fired a shot at them, though no injuries were reported in connection with the alleged gunfire. Local organizers said at least six people were detained by immigration officials, several of them U.S. citizens, and Chicago police reported one officer was in good condition after being struck by a vehicle during the chaos. Ald. Mike Rodriguez, 22nd, said at a news conference Sunday that the raids around the neighborhood were a “reign of terror” and questioned whether anyone had actually fired at the agents.
