Police: 2 shot in Westchester not intended target

WESTCHESTER, Ill. (WLS) -- The shooting of two people Tuesday night in a picturesque west suburban Westchester neighborhood was a case of mistaken identity, police said.

A woman and her male cousin, both age 24, were shot and wounded outside a home near Devonshire and Newcastle at about 9 p.m. Both are expected to survive. No one is in custody.

The tree-lined street donned with American flags and brick homes is not where most would expect bullets to fly. In fact, neighbors said they thought the gunshots were fireworks.

Thirty shots were fired at the pair who were pulling out of a driveway in a gray Mercedez-Benz.

One of the victims was JW Dixson's girlfriend's daughter, who lives in the home with them. Dixson found the daughter and the cousin bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds on his kitchen floor.

"She was laying on the floor, he was able to move around. Wherever they shot him, he was able to move around. But I don't know what happened," Dixson said.

The shooter was in a dark sedan, said Westchester Police Chief Steven Stelter.

After they were shot, the victims were able to get into the house, where family dialed 911.

"We believe that this was a possible gang shooting where the target was believed to be one of the persons inside the vehicle, when in fact it wasn't," Stelter said. "We believe it was targeted, but we believe the wrong people were targeted."

While the male and female victim were likely not the target, the intended target is someone who visits the house often, police said.

Gang activity is not unusual in the area, police said.

"No, we don't see gangs in Westchester," Stelter said. "We do deal with gang members because we have communities that surround us with gang populations and they do pass through town."

The female victim was shot at least three times and was in surgery for most of the night, Dixson said. The man faces non-life-threatening injuries.