Gun Used In Rogers Park Serial Killings Linked To Shootings On West Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago police said they've traced the gun used last fall by the so-called "Rogers Park Killer" to two additional shootings on the West Side.
The execution-style murders of 73-year-old Douglas Watts and 24-year-old Eliyahu Moscowitz just 36 hours apart terrorized the North Side neighborhood last fall. The masked gunman was caught on surveillance video, and police have said he has a distinct duck walk or limp.
Weeks after those slayings, the same gun was used in a shooting in West Lawndale. The victims took themselves to the hospital in a silver SUV riddled with bullet holes.
In March, the same gun was used in a shooting near Jackson and Oakley boulevards, just blocks away from the United Center.
With news those shootings have been linked, some people in Rogers Park said they hope police finally will be able to catch the killer.
"It's absolutely really disruptive, and really scary," Ashley Walker said. "I probably stopped running in the park for about three or four months after that."
Especially maddening for many in Rogers Park has been the apparent randomness of last fall's murders. Both victims were shot in the head at close range while walking alone, but were not robbed, and other than being victims of the same killer, had no apparent connection.
"I absolutely want the person to be caught. What happened was horrendous, and shouldn't happen," Esther Choi said.
It's not clear if the gun changed hands after the Rogers Park murders. A $150,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in those slayings.
