Police said two armed suspects confronted two men in a parked car before dawn.
CHICAGO, IL — A 22-year-old man was shot and killed early Wednesday when two armed men carjacked a vehicle on Chicago’s North Side, police said. The shooting happened in the 700 block of West Waveland Avenue in the Lakeview area.
The killing added to ongoing concerns about violent carjackings that can unfold in seconds, even in busy nightlife districts. Police said the victim was with another man when the suspects approached, demanded the vehicle and property, and then opened fire before speeding away. Detectives worked to identify the shooters, track the stolen car’s movements, and determine whether a second fatal shooting later that morning on the South Side was connected.
Police said the shooting happened just before 4 a.m. as two men, ages 22 and 38, were sitting in a parked car between Halsted Street and Broadway. Two male suspects approached, displayed guns, and demanded the vehicle and personal belongings, police said. Investigators said gunfire followed almost immediately. The 22-year-old was struck in the chest and back and was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The 38-year-old was not injured. The suspects drove off in the victims’ car, and officers began searching for video, witnesses, and any electronic leads that could help identify the pair.
By mid-morning, police tape was largely gone from the block, but detectives and patrol officers continued checking the area and looking for cameras facing the street, according to accounts from the scene. Police did not release the victim’s name Wednesday, and they did not describe the suspects beyond saying they were male and armed. Investigators said they were working to confirm details about the stolen vehicle and any items taken during the confrontation. Officials also did not say whether the victims knew the suspects or whether the men were targeted, and they did not provide a motive beyond the carjacking demand described in the initial report.
About 50 minutes after the Lakeview carjacking, police responded to another fatal shooting on the South Side after a man was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the 3700 block of South Lake Park Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood, authorities said. Police said the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators were reviewing information that the stolen car may have been located near that second shooting, but authorities said Wednesday that it was not yet known whether the incidents were connected. Police said they were piecing together a timeline using technology that can track vehicles, including automated license plate reader alerts, along with traditional canvassing and interviews.
The carjacking happened in an area known for restaurants, bars, and late-night foot traffic, and neighbors said the violence was jarring for a neighborhood that many residents consider walkable and active. “It’s tough to live only a couple short blocks away and to see the reality,” one neighbor told a television station. Another resident who lives nearby said the attack left him “irritated” and called for a stronger police presence along the Halsted and Broadway corridor. Police did not announce any immediate changes to patrols, but officials said detectives were working the case and asking anyone with information to come forward.
In recent years, Chicago and other big cities have seen spikes and drops in carjacking reports, with police and researchers pointing to a mix of enforcement changes, shifting patterns in stolen vehicle use, and the availability of firearms among young offenders. A mid-2025 analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice found Chicago’s carjacking rate in the first half of 2025 was sharply lower than the first half of 2024, though the group and local police leaders have said the violence tied to robberies and stolen vehicles can still be unpredictable. Chicago police have also described how stolen cars are sometimes used in other crimes, which can increase the danger during initial thefts and later encounters with victims, witnesses, and officers.
Area 3 detectives were assigned to the Lakeview investigation, police said, and the case was being handled as a homicide tied to a vehicular hijacking. Authorities did not announce arrests Wednesday, and they did not release a description of any firearm recovered. Investigators typically seek surveillance footage from building cameras, doorbell systems, and street-facing businesses, and they also review phone and vehicle data when available. Police said they were continuing to notify nearby residents and businesses and were expected to provide updates if suspects were identified or if charges were filed.
Late Wednesday, investigators said the central facts remained unchanged: a 22-year-old was killed after suspects demanded a vehicle and property, and the shooters fled in the stolen car. Police said they were working to identify the victim and notify family. Officials said they were also still examining the second fatal shooting on South Lake Park Avenue and planned to determine whether it was related to the carjacking or a separate incident.
Author note: Last updated February 11, 2026.