Ice cream vendor shot on South Side after argument over $1 price, witness says: 'It's unbelievable'

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Suspects are in custody after a standoff in the East Side neighborhood Wednesday night, Chicago police said.

Chicago police said just after 7:30 p.m., a 67-year-old food vendor was approached by two people in the 10700-block of South Ewing, who pulled out guns and opened fire.

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One witness described hearing an argument over the price of a dollar ice cream the vendor was selling outside of a grocery store before he heard gunfire.

"It's unbelievable. A life for a dollar?" witness Dave Johnson said. "A shot for a dollar? No, that's crazy. I heard two guys arguing real loud. I mean, I could hear them a block away."

Sounds of frustration came first, then a single gunshot.

"Then, all of a sudden, I heard, 'pow!'" Johnson said. "I went to the corner of my deck. I looked down the street here, and I seen a guy laying on the grass. He was shot in the leg."

The man who was shot, investigators say, was a 67-year-old food vendor, who left on the ground injured while two suspects tried to run away, but they didn't get far. Chicago police and SWAT officers swarmed 108th and Ewing.

"Evidently, he didn't pay the dollar or it was too much for him to pay," Johnson said.

The victim was taken to the University of Chicago Hospital in good condition while both suspects ran into a nearby home, police said, leading to an hours-long a barricade situation and standoff before they were taken into custody.

Despite the arrests, the violent confrontation is still concerning for those ABC7 spoke to who have lived in the neighborhood for decades.

"It's just scary, gunshots that close to your house," Johnson said.

"It just feels like I may feel that much safe here, but I just feel like I can't be outside as much as I usually do," resident Manuel Perea said.

Police have not identified the two suspects taken into custody as charges are pending.

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