Peter Fabbri and two friends somehow found themselves arguing about the Bible with a group of people near Millennium Park on Saturday night, when a man rode up on a bicycle.
Paul Pagan apparently wasn’t there to debate scripture. Pagan, 32, has a history of getting into arguments — and using a gun to make his point, Chicago Police said.
On Saturday, shortly after he arrived on his bike, Pagan joined the argument. Things got heated between Fabbri and Pagan, police said. The argument ended with Pagan shooting Fabbri twice and riding away on his bike, police said. On Monday, police announced Pagan has been charged with first-degree murder in Fabbri’s death.
“He’s been on our radar for some time as someone who has a likelihood of being a perpetrator of gun violence,” Chicago Police First Deputy Supt. Kevin Navarro told reporters at CPD headquarters Monday afternoon, describing Pagan as a “documented gang member.”
Fabbri, 54, who lived in the western suburbs, was walking with two female friends about 7:35 p.m. Saturday along Michigan Avenue, after attending a “wine-tasting event,” police said. Fabbri and his friends encountered a group handing out pamphlets, police said.
“It was a little bit of a hateful message, our victim and his female companions believed,” Chicago Police Cmdr. Brendan Deenihan told reporters at the press briefing Monday.
Pagan then pulled up, argued with Fabbri, before shooting him, police said.
Pagan took off on a bicycle but was arrested nearby.
At the time of his arrest, Pagan had a warrant out for his arrest for a June 2016 incident that allegedly involved him pointing a gun during another argument, police said.
Pagan also has a 2015 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, police said. He has been arrested 39 times, four of which led to felony convictions.
Saturday’s shooting left strollers uneasy along Michigan Avenue.
“I feel unsafe now,” said Twion Stevens, 26, who was out for a walk near the park when he heard the commotion and came upon the crime scene. “It makes me worry about my daughter — she’s 4 years old and means the world to me. This is Millennium Park. Kids play here, people come here to enjoy themselves. This is sad.”
Stevens, a minister, said he moved away from the South Side to get away from violence.
“Chicago needs to do better than what’s going on right now,” he said.
