Ronald Rogers had just gone inside of his Country Club Hills home after sitting on his front porch in the early Tuesday evening when he heard what sounded like a car backfiring.
More Top Picks Concussion In Kids Vision Warning Signs
Little did the 61-year-old retired PACE bus driver know that the rapid pops he heard on his typically quiet blacktop street in the 18000 block of Baker Avenue were gunshots aimed at a next-door neighbor and a relative of the neighbor.
“Him and his cousin were sitting on the porch when a car came by and started shooting,” Rogers said.
Ryan Jones, 41, of Lansing, was killed in the hail of bullets, according to authorities. Detectives are investigating the apparent drive-by shooting that happened at around 5:45 p.m.
No arrests had been reported in connection with the incident Wednesday.
Officers responded to the home after receiving a number of 911 calls about shots fired in the area, police said. Police found Jones on the front porch with multiple gunshot wounds, according to authorities. He was pronounced dead at 6:26 p.m. at Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest.
An autopsy performed by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Jones died of those wounds.
The second man was inside the house with a bullet wound to his leg. He was hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Rogers said he didn’t realize there was a shooting until police arrived and he heard shouting. He said he heard eight to 10 shots pops about five minutes after walking into his home.
Investigators had largely finished scouring the house for evidence by late Wednesday afternoon. Several bullet holes, marked by police, were visible on the large front windows of the one-story ranch-style home. A six-pack of beer could be seen on the front porch.
The shooting remains under investigation by the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force, police said.
Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.