River Forest police, Oak Park police and River Forest firefighter/paramedics responded about 11:00 p.m. Saturday December 2, 2017 to a report of a shooting at North Avenue and Harlem Avenue at the border of River Forest and Oak Park.
A 23-year-old man driving an SUV was killed and a female passenger wounded during the shooting. River Forest police report that an SUV was stopped at a red light at North Avenue and Harlem Avenue when someone stepped out of a sedan stopped behind the SUV. The offender walked up to the SUV, and fired several inside the vehicle.
Steven Ward, age 23, driving the SUV, was shot and killed. Ward was transported to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead at 11:29 p.m. His female passenger was wounded and transported to an undisclosed hospital with injuries that initially appeared to be non-life-threatening.
Police said Ward is a “self-reported” documented gang member from Chicago.
The intersection was closed for investigation and traffic was detoured through neighborhoods and side streets nearby.
Witnesses say the shooting occurred right beneath a police red light camera in the middle of the intersection. A Shell station nearby was also equipped with surveillance video. Police are investigating both video sources.
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