Chicago man killed, woman wounded in River Forest shooting

A man was killed and a woman was wounded in a shooting late Saturday in west suburban River Forest.

Officers responded at 10:41 p.m. to shots fired in the 7200 block of West North Avenue, according to River Forest police. Nine shots were fired and a vehicle had rolled into the middle of the intersection at North and Harlem.

The shooter was in a sedan that pulled behind the victim’s SUV, which was stopped at the red light at the intersection, police said. The shooter got out of the sedan, approached the victim’s vehicle and fired numerous shots inside.

The suspect, described as a black male wearing a hooded sweatshirt, got back into the silver Buick or similar style car and headed east on North Avenue, police said.

Steven Ward, 23, was shot multiple times and was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he died at 11:29 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. A 35-year-old woman was also hospitalized with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

Police said both victims are Chicago residents, and Ward was a documented gang member.

“This appears to be spill over gang related violence stemming from activities in the City of Chicago,” Deputy Chief James O’Shea said in a statement.

“At this time there is no additional threats or safety concerns to residents or those traveling through the River Forest area. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families, and we commend the sense of civic duty that witnesses displayed at the crime scene,” O’Shea said.

The West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force is investigating.