A masked gunman opened fire in an Uptown Starbucks coffee shop Thursday night on Chicago's North Side, killing one man and wounding two other people, including a 12-year-old boy, authorities said.
The shootings occurred about 8:15 p.m. in the 4700 block of North Broadway Street, police said.
The 12-year-old was shot in the groin and taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital in critical condition, police said. The boy's condition later stabilized.
The wounded man, who police said was in his 20s, was shot and took himself to Weiss Hospital. His condition was not immediately known. Another man, also in his 20s, was shot and pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The man killed was identified Friday morning as 28-year-old Sauvignon Watkins of Chicago's Avalon Park neighborhood, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
Chicago police Cmdr. Marc Buslik, of the 19th District, told reporters outside the Starbucks the shooting was possibly preceded by a botched drug deal between the shooter and the man who died in the coffee shop. He said the deal might have occurred on Wilson Avenue east of Broadway Street.
The man was chased into the Starbucks by the shooter, who was wearing a mask of some sort and dressed in dark clothing, Buslik said. The shooter opened fire inside the coffee shop, he said, fatally striking the man. The two others who were wounded were standing near the man who was killed, police said.
U.S. & World
Buslik said police believe the wounded boy and man knew the dead man but did not elaborate on their relationship.
"We believe that the three victims did know each other," he said, adding that he did not know if either of the men were the child’s father.
A person who answered the phone at the Starbucks location calmly said he was not allowed to talk to media.
Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges said the company was "dismayed" by the shooting.
"We are working with law enforcement to better learn specifics of what transpired and support our customers and partners," he said. "We hope to provide updates as soon as we learn more.”
A statement on the company's website Thursday said the store would be closed Friday morning "as we focus on our local store partners, ensuring they have the support they need."
Kendra Nance said she was walking by the coffee shop with her boyfriend when they heard gunshots.
"I thought it was firecrackers," she said. "But when I seen people coming out, they started crying … I seen blood everywhere … I seen a dead body."
No one was in custody and Area North detectives were investigating.
