A devoted Evanston father was walking with his young daughter when he was fatally shot during a standoff Thursday night at a north suburban park, police said.
Officers were dispatched to the 2100 block of McCormick Boulevard, in Isabella Butler Park — not far from the Ladd Arboretum — along the North Shore Canal around 9:05 p.m., authorities said in a Twitter thread about the 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 the scene of the shooting at 9:24 p.m., the Cook County medical examiner said.
During a Friday afternoon press conference at the fire department, Cmdr. Ryan Glue 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 encounter.
Hamros is the father of two young girls, ages 7 and 10, according to his mother, Dawn Hamros, who said she was at the park at the time of the shooting but did not witness the attack.
“Initial investigation indicates 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 “fled the scene on foot.”
Hamros’ daughter is physically unharmed. At that time, she contacted family members, alerting them to the shooting.
“He was a funny guy. He was just great,” his mother said. “He loved his daughters. His whole world was his daughters. That’s why he was here.
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In a social media post at 10:10 p.m. Thursday, the Evanston Police Department said it was not an “active shooting” but warned residents to “stay indoors for the next several hours and report any suspicious activity.” The precautions were taken “due to the fact that armed (suspects) fled on foot and were not apprehended,” the post said.
Roads in the area were also closed and authorities said there would be a “significant police presence for most of the night”.
The fatal shooting remains under investigation by Evanston police in conjunction with the North Region Major Crimes Task Force. No suspects were in custody and no arrests had been made as of Friday afternoon.
Anyone with information regarding the investigation is encouraged to call Evanston Police at 847-866-5040 or text 27463 and begin the text with EPD TIP.
“This is so pointless. It doesn’t make sense,” Hamros’ mother said. “They must be brought to justice.”
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