Driver found shot to death in cab in Lincoln Square

A taxi driver was found shot to death inside his cab Monday morning in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the North Side.

The 59-year-old was discovered unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head inside a vehicle in the 4400 block of North Leavitt just before 8 a.m., according to Chicago Police. Area North detectives are conducting a homicide investigation.

The driver’s last fare was someone who had ordered the taxi earlier in the morning, according to a statement from United Taxidrivers Community Council spokesman Peter Enger. He had been a cabdriver for 35 years.

A photo of his last passenger should be available because the taxis are equipped with cameras, Enger said. Although the photo has not been released, the council hoped the images would be made public so other taxi drivers could avoid the possible shooter.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office confirmed the fatality but withheld his identity Monday afternoon pending the notification of his family.