Forest Park police arrived at Forest Park Plaza at about 9:40 p.m. on April 21, on a call that a man had allegedly just been shot, according to a Forest Park police report. While en route, dispatch relayed that the victim was driving himself to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
“There is no evidence that we can find that any shots were fired in Forest Park,” said Police Chief Thomas Aftanas.
A Walmart employee told police he was standing outside the store at 1300 Desplaines Ave. when a red minivan pulled into the lot. The driver jumped out of the car and screamed “call 911, I’ve been shot.” The employee told police that the man appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and was holding an alcoholic beverage.
The employee then watched the victim put pressure on his leg to stop bleeding, noticed blood on the man’s hands and saw bullet marks on the driver’s side of the minivan.
Another witness, who was standing nearby, told police that she also thought the driver was intoxicated and saw him holding a beer in his hand.
Both witnesses said they did not hear gunshots in the area.
“Several people in the parking lot who were standing outside their cars stated they did not hear any shots, so not sure exactly where this may have occurred at,” Aftanas said.
Forest Park police walked through the emergency room at Loyola and did not find anyone who matched witnesses’ description. They found a red minivan in the Loyola parking lot but it did not have bullet holes on its side and there was no blood inside. Aftanas said police haven’t heard any updates today from Loyola about the alleged incident.
Forest Park police contacted the Cicero and Berwyn police departments and neither have any information regarding a shooting or victim that matched the incident description, according to the Forest Park police report.
