Jim Schejbal said he mistook the sound of gunshots near his Lincolnwood home this past Easter Sunday for firecrackers.
Schejbal, 50, who lives in the 3700 block of Columbia Avenue, said it wasn’t until police cars pulled up outside Columbia park across the street from his residence that he learned it was a shooting.
A 23-year-old man was shot and injured on the afternoon of March 27 when a car pulled up and opened fire at another vehicle in the 6700 block of Hamlin Street.
Lincolnwood police Lt. Randy Rathmell said the department was not releasing any additional information and that the investigation was ongoing.
Last Monday, Schejbal said residents in the quiet neighborhood met with police officials. He described the event as “a good meeting.” Schejbal said police did not provide residents with any additional information about the ongoing investigation.
Police found the victim after receiving a call from Evanston Hospital where he was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Lincolnwood Police say the man, who was sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle parked near his home along with two other people when he was shot, has since been released from the hospital.
Police described the incident as isolated, and said the victim and the other people in the car were likely targeted. They said the man was cooperating with an ongoing investigation.
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Another Columbia Avenue resident, who declined to be named for fear of being targeted by those responsible for the shooting, said she’s pleased with the response by police and said they’ve stepped up patrols of the neighborhood in the weeks since the shooting.
Joe Rodrigues, 61, a Columbia Avenue resident who was at Schejbal’s home at the time the shooting occurred, said he’s seen members of the police force talking with kids at the park and participating in basketball games in the weeks since the March 27 incident.
“We’ve never had anything like this happen before,” Rodrigues said. He said he believes the increased police presence will deter any similar incidents in the future.
All three residents interviewed said the park was packed with children shortly before the shooting occurred. Schejbal, who has six children — four of whom live with him — said it started raining around 4 p.m. and that’s when all the kids came inside.
“They say God works in mysterious ways,” said the neighbor who declined to be named. “Because of the rain, the kids came inside.”
Schejbal said he’s thankful the victim was not severely injured. He said he’s seen the man playing basketball at the park but does not know him personally.
The neighborhood is a tight-knit community and the shooting has residents worried, Schejbal said.
Even if it was an isolated incident, “it’s still scary,” he said.
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.