'I'm going around giving blessings': Gunman, 32, brags about his random shooting rampage in Chicago's South Side as he kills four - including student, 30, sat in his car - before being shot dead by police
A gunman was shot dead by police after they said he went on a shooting spree around the Chicago area overnight, killing four victims and wounding at least three others.
The shootings began in Chicago on the South Side at the 5300 block of South East End Avenue around 1:50pm local time on Saturday afternoon, when a suspect identified as Jason Nightengale, 32, opened fire on a 30-year-old University of Chicago student while he was sitting in his car, killing him.
Jason Nightengale, the 32-year-old suspect, was previously charged for domestic battery, among other charges
The deceased student has not been identified publicly, nor have any of the other shooting victims so far.
'It is with great sadness that we inform our community that a current student of the University was shot and killed this evening in a parking garage of the Regents Park apartment complex at 5035 S. East End Avenue,' the school said in an emailed statement.
According to The Chicago-Tribune, Nightengale next turned his sights on an apartment building at the 4900 block of South East End Avenue.
Once inside, Nightengale allegedly shot a 46-year-old security guard for the building, who later died at a hospital.
'He proceeded to walk into the building and I think she told him he had to leave the building and then he shot her,' a neighbor told ABC7 Chicago.
'So then she began to run and he shot her again. She was a good person. She has two kids that I know of.'
He also shot a 77-year-old woman on the right side of her head while she was retrieving her mail - she's in critical condition at the hospital.
About 45 minutes later, Nightengale found his way through the backdoor of a different apartment building at the 5500 block of South East End Avenue, where he took an elevator up to the 19th floor.
Once there, he saw a man he knew because a relative of Nightengale's once lived in the building.
The shooting spree Nightengale allegedly went on spanned from Chicago to Evanston
This map details the spate of shootings that led Nightengale from Chicago to Evanston
Nightengale pushed the man into an apartment and forced him to surrender the keys to a red Toyota, which Nightengale then took off in, police said.
He drove to a convenience store in Brainerd at the 9300 block of South Halsted Street, which he attempted to rob around 3pm.
During the robbery, Nightengale shot and killed a 20-year-old man and shot an 81-year-old woman in the back and the neck.
The woman was taken to the hospital, where she is currently in critical condition.
An hour later, Nightengale was in the Washington Heights neighborhood in the 10300 block of South Halsted Street, where he allegedly shot a 15-year-old girl in the head while she was in the car with her mother.
She was also taken to a hospital, where she is in critical condition.
Nightengale's day of violence ended in Evanston, where two more shootings occurred
In the first, Nightengale took a hostage at an IHOP and shot her; she later died of her injuries
Nightengale's next believed move was to return to the area of the convenience store shooting, where police were investigating the incident.
Nightengale opened fire on the police, but didn't strike any of the cops, who declined to return fire on him.
The trail goes cold on Nightengale from there until 5:35pm when shots were fired inside of a CVS in Evanston, which is located about a half-hour drive from Chicago.
Evanston police chief Demitrous Cook was unsure of who fired first in the final shootout
Investigators worked tireless on Saturday to catch up to Nightengale as he terrorized Illinois
After the shooting that killed Nightengale, police recovered this firearm from the scene
Nobody was hit by a bullet inside of the CVS.
Nightengale then ran across the street to an IHOP, where he allegedly took a woman hostage before shooting her in the neck.
'As I was parked over here by IHOP, there was a body over here shot up on the ground,' witness Israel Lopez told ABC7 Chicago.
Overall, Nightengale killed four victims before he himself was killed by the police
Nightengale also wounded three and each of those people are in critical condition
It remains unclear what Nightengale's motives were for the various violent shootings
WGN News reporter Bronagh Tumulty updated her condition on Sunday morning, tweeting, 'now hearing the woman who was held hostage and shot in Evanston, has passed away.'
The woman's death has yet to be confirmed publicly by the police, but she would be Nightengale's fourth victim.
Bronagh Tumulty tweeted news of the fourth victim passing away on Sunday morning
After the IHOP shooting, Nightengale ran east into a Dollar General parking lot, where he was shot dead by Evanston police during an exchange of gunfire.
'There was an exchange of gunfire. I’m not sure who fired first,' Evanston police chief Demitrous Cook told the Tribune. Officers were wearing body-worn cameras during the shootout.
None of the officers were hurt during the final shootout.
'These police officers come out here and put their lives on the line every day,' Chief Cook said.
No motive for any of the shootings has been revealed yet.
Nightengale was charged in domestic battery cases at least five separate times over the past ten years, though each charge was eventually dismissed.
Nightengale has a lengthy history of arrests dating back to 2005, including charges of domestic battery, theft, reckless conduct, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
ABC7 Chicago reports Nightengale has previously been arrested for numerous crimes, including gun and drug violations, criminal trespass, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft, domestic violence, and reckless conduct.
He had also posted a series of disturbing social media posts, at least one showing him with a weapon.
'My brother was not and hadn’t been in his right mind for a long time,' a person claiming to be Nightengale's sister wrote on Facebook, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. 'My condolences to any families affected by his mental break.'
On LinkedIn, Nightengale listed various occupations as a janitor, cab driver, and security investigator, though the owner of the security firm had no recollection of him when asked by the Sun-Times.
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