Skokie Officials Reverse Course, Confirm Knox Avenue Shooting

SKOKIE, IL — Village officials reversed course this week, providing evidence that confirming a shooting that Skokie police and village staff had refused to acknowledge indeed occurred last month.

The confirmation came after Tuesday's publication of an article about the apparent violation of state public records law by village officials, who issued a blanket denial of a Skokie Patch records request under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, for information about the incident.

A nearly completely blacked-out document provided by village staff shows that multiple people called 911 to report hearing gunshots in the 8000 block of Knox Avenue, with one reportedly describing a dark-colored car leaving southbound on Knox Avenue and turning west into an alley north of Oakton Avenue.

The village continues to withhold, in their entirety, all audio recordings of police and dispatchers, and any report produced by the detective assigned to the case, who was not identified in the heavily redacted document.

According to the few unredacted portions of the investigatory narrative revealed by police, a silver Nissan crashed into a parked car and its owner, an 18-year-old Skokie resident, suffered a single graze would to the back of his shoulder, police reported.

It said six bullet casings were found on the ground nearby, but the rest of the report is redacted. Police said the investigation into the incident remains active. No charges have been filed.

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