Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s decision to terminate the city’s contract with ShotSpotter, a gunfire detection system, has had dire consequences for gunshot victims in the city. In a recent incident, a homeless man accidentally shot himself in the knee and had to wait 15 minutes for help to arrive because no one called 911 to report the gunshot. This lack of timely emergency response is a direct result of Mayor Johnson’s decision to dismantle ShotSpotter.
The 63-year-old man was found in a viaduct in the 2600 block of West Congress, with a gunshot wound to his knee. Chicago police and fire personnel responded to the scene after the call came in as a “man down.” It was later determined that the man had unintentionally shot himself, with a shell casing found inside a shoe in his tent.
Ald. Jason Ervin, who represents the 28th Ward where the incident occurred, supported Mayor Johnson’s decision to get rid of ShotSpotter. This decision has had severe consequences, as evidenced by the recent incident and another shooting victim found in the same ward earlier in the week.
Ervin’s justification for supporting the removal of ShotSpotter was that it deterred people from calling 911 about gunfire. However, the reality is that without ShotSpotter, gunshot victims are left waiting for help as bystanders fail to report the shootings. The lack of technology like ShotSpotter means that victims are left lying on the ground for extended periods, waiting for someone to make the call.
Mayor Johnson’s refusal to reconsider his decision to dismantle ShotSpotter goes against the wishes of the majority of aldermen, citizens, victim advocates, and even the city’s police superintendent. The termination of ShotSpotter has left Chicago residents vulnerable and has hindered police investigations into shootings.
The series “Brandon’s Bodies” aims to document cases of shooting victims and police investigations that could have benefited from gunshot detection technology like ShotSpotter. The criteria for inclusion in the series are cases where a gunshot victim is found outside in a location previously served by ShotSpotter without accompanying 911 calls about gunfire or with calls that did not lead to the timely location of the victim.
The consequences of Mayor Johnson’s decision to dismantle ShotSpotter are clear in the recent incidents of gunshot victims left waiting for help. The lack of technology to detect gunfire has had severe implications for public safety in Chicago, and it is crucial that steps are taken to address this issue and ensure the safety of all residents.
