Watch CBS News

Bellwood Shooting Victim Collapses After Fleeing To Church

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A man was walking down the street when he was shot in the back in west suburban Bellwood, and where he was walking might have helped save his life.

CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports the 21-year-old victim collapsed outside Monroe Baptist Church, where a nurse helped treat him until an ambulance arrived.

Church member Aketha Moore helped the victim to the door of the church.

"I got out of my car, and the young man was screaming for help, and he was running down the street," she said. "He said he didn't know who it was, but somebody had shot him in his back."

Moore, who's also a nurse, tried to stop the bleeding until the ambulance arrived.

Bellwood police said the young man was actually shot a couple of blocks away, on the 800 block of Bellwood Avenue.

Andre Harvey, director of public safety for Bellwood, said authorities don't know where the shots came from.

"We talked to the victim, and he stated he didn't see anyone in the area. He heard the gunshots, and he started to run," he said.

Police canvassed the area, but said so far there are no witnesses, and far more questions than answers.

"It's really disturbing, because we don't see things like that around here. We don't hear of gunshot victims over here, and for it to happen right in front of the church, it's really scary," Moore said.

Police said the victim was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, and was conscious at the time, but the hospital was not commenting on the victim's condition.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.