"We don't believe this is a random act. We think that this was an instance where the person was specifically targeted," Chicago Police Commander Gary Yamashiroya said. "We are still determining if they know each other."
The man was walking to work when he was shot in the head by the suspect around 5 p.m. on the bridge over the Chicago River near Wacker Drive and State Street, police said. The victim was transported in critical condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to his head.
"We have a detective at the hospital. He appears to be talking to the detective," the commander said of the victim.
Police do not have a suspect in custody, but said they are talking to witnesses and reviewing cameras from the area. Officials said the offender took off running southbound down State Street.
"I just heard a noise, sounded like a car backfiring. I looked outside the window and I saw a man running southbound on State Street. Another one on the phone," Gary Reidy said.
"I heard a boom, like a gun sound. As we wall, all you can see is the man fall and the other man took off, over there," said Sameisio Lewis.
The bridge has been completely closed to vehicles, as has State Street from Wacker to Kinzie. Pedestrians can get through on the east side of the bridge.
- Several CTA buses have been rerouted, including Bus Nos. 29, 36, 62:
- 29 NORTHBOUND: STATE TO WACKER TO DEARBORN TO KINIZIE BACK TO STATE AND THEN REGULAR ROUTE
- 62 SOUTHBOUND: DEARBORN TO KINZIE TO CLARK TO WACKER BACK TO STATE
- 29 AND 36 SOUTHBOUND STATE TO KINZIE TO CLARK TO WACKER BACK TO STATE