ROGERS PARK — The same gun used in two high-profile Rogers Park murders that shook the city last fall has been used in two more shootings since, police said Monday.
In October 2018, the Rogers Park neighborhood was rocked by two murders that occurred within two days of each other. Both Douglas Watts, 73, and Eliyahu Moscowitz, 24, were shot and killed while out walking just blocks apart near Lake Michigan.
With no criminal backgrounds and no connection between the two victims, the seemingly random murders created fear in the Rogers Park neighborhood.
About 40 detectives were assigned to the case and the reward for the killer’s capture climbed to $150,000, the largest reward in city history.
Other than a video that shows the killer clad in black, with a distinct “duck feet” gait, few details from the investigation have emerged publicly.
On Monday, police confirmed a CBS report that the same gun has been connected to two other shootings on Chicago’s West Side.
The first West Side shooting happened about two weeks after the Rogers Park murders on Oct. 15, near the 4300 block of West 5th Avenue in Lawndale.
The victims were stopped at a red light when a “dark-colored SUV pulled alongside and fired shots,” according to police.
Two victims were taken to the hospital in stable condition after suffering gunshot wounds. No suspects were arrested in connection with the shooting.
The gun was used in a fourth shooting almost six months later, police said.
On March 28, three security guards reported that a white vehicle pulled up to a driveway in the 2300 block of West Jackson Boulevard on the Near West Side, then backed out of the driveway with an individual firing shots from the car.
No one was injured in the shooting and police never arrested any suspects.
Chicago Police would not answer questions about whether they believe the two West Side shootings are connected to the Rogers Park murders, or if detectives believe the gun changed hands.
“Everything is still being actively investigated by detectives,” police spokesperson Kellie Bartoli said. “We cannot comment on any specifics related to the open investigations.”
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