CHICAGO – A gunman killed two men at Navy Pier Tuesday afternoon and then fled on foot to Streeterville. Chicago police suspect the killer is a recently fired employee at one of the pier’s restaurants.
A security guard called 911 when he discovered the two victims near a loading dock shortly after 1 p.m. The victims, men ages 47 and 51, were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries.
Police searched the pier and parking garages for a 36-year-old employee who had recently been fired, according to police radio broadcasts. But video footage eventually showed him walking off the pier around 1:25 p.m. and was last seen heading west on Illinois Street near McClurg Court. Court records show he was convicted of armed robbery in 2008 and had the weapons charge dropped in 2017.
The only other shooting reported at Navy Pier occurred on Oct. 28, 2023. Officials said a man who got into an argument during a cruise on the lake opened fire on a crowd as the boat returned to the pier. The case is pending at 26th and California.
Before today, there had been one murder on the pier: the drowning of 3-year-old Josiah Brown in 2022. His aunt is still defending herself against murder charges.
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