Officers were dispatched to the 2100 block of McCormick Avenue in Isabella Butler Park — not far from the Ladd Arboretum — along the North Shore Canal at about 9:05 p.m., authorities said in a Twitter thread with information about shooting. When police arrived, Servando Hamros was found lying “in the park along the canal,” officials said. “The victim is dead.” Hamros, 29, of Evanston, was pronounced dead at 9:24 p.m. at the scene of the shooting, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. During a press conference Friday afternoon at the fire station, Cmdr. Ryan Glew of the Evanston Police Department said Hamros was walking in the park with one of his daughters and had what appeared to be a confrontation with at least one other person. He was shot after the fight. Hamros is the father of two young daughters, ages 7 and 10, according to his mother, Dawn Hamros, who said she was at the park during the shooting but did not witness the attack. “The initial investigation indicates that the victim had a confrontation with an unknown number of (people). Shots were fired, striking the victim,” police said on Twitter. The shooter or shooters then “left the scene on foot.” Hamrou’s daughter was not physically injured. He contacted family members at that time, notifying them of the shooting. “He was a funny guy. He was just wonderful,” his mom said. “He loved his daughters. His whole world was his daughters. That’s why he was out here.”
Afternoon briefing
Daily Top stories from Chicago Tribune editors, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. In a social media post at 10:10 p.m. Thursday night, the Evanston Police Department said the situation was “not an active shooter” but warned residents to “remain indoors for the next several hours and report suspicious activity”. The precautions were taken “due to the fact that armed (suspects) fled on foot and are not in custody,” the post said. Roads in the area were also closed and authorities said “there will be a significant police presence for most of the night”. The fatal shooting remains under investigation by Evanston police in cooperation with the North District Major Crimes Task Force. No suspects have been taken into custody and no arrests had been made as of Friday afternoon. Anyone with information about the investigation is encouraged to call Evanston police at 847-866-5040 or 27463 and begin the text with EPDTIP. “This is so absurd. That doesn’t make sense,” Hamros’ mother said. “They must be brought to justice.”
