A man shot in the head outside the School of the Art Institute of Chicago on Saturday night has died. The incident took place at around 7:35 p.m. near the city’s Millennium Park, a popular tourist destination.
According to Chicago police, 54-year-old Peter Fabbri was shot when a verbal altercation with another man turned violent. ABC 7 reported that Fabbri was walking with two women, including his sister, when he was gunned down on the corner of South Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street. The shooter reportedly fled the scene on a bicycle.
At a press conference, commander Brendan Deenihan of the Chicago police spoke to reporters, saying “while walking on Michigan Avenue they came across another group of approximately seven–10 people who were passing out flyers or pamphlets and speaking about religion. It was a hateful message our victim and his female companions believed, so they engaged this group in a verbal confrontation… at this time the offender rolled up on his bicycle… and the offender and the male victim begin to argue and that gets escalated very quickly and turns into a physical confrontation… our offender, who’s armed with a handgun, decides to use his weapon, and he shot our victim two times, causing his death.”
Police charged 32-year-old gang member Paul Pagan (left) with the murder of 54-year-old Peter Fabbri. Courtesy of the Chicago Police via twitter.
On Monday, police announced that they had charged 32-year-old two-time convicted gun offender Paul Pagan with murder. Pagan has an extensive criminal record, including over 30 arrests. He was wanted for an earlier gun crime when he killed Fabbri.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Diane White, a security guard at the School of the Art Institute, witnessed the killing. “As I came across [the street], I saw them fighting over here,” she said. “At first I heard a ‘bang’ like a firecracker. Then I saw a gentleman fall. I’m like ‘Oh man, somebody got shot.’”
The area surrounding Millennium Park is a popular tourist destination. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Another witness, Sean Covello, told ABC 7, “It’s downtown. We’re right by the faces, the sculptures. Usually it’s a family friendly area, you know? This stuff happens either [on the] West Side, South Side. But it’s spreading all over the place. Something needs to be done.”
Another park visitor, Frankie Cortez, said,”It’s just crazy. The world is going crazy. Stuff is continuing to happen. We just need to bring hope to the city, hope to America.”
The Art Institute of Chicago did not immediately respond to artnet News’ request for comment.