Gunman Had Posted Threatening Videos Prior To Evanston Shooting

EVANSTON, Ill. - After a deadly shooting spree in Evanston left three victims dead on Saturday, alarming videos have been uncovered of the suspected gunman threatening violence. The shooter also wounded an additional five people before being shot dead by police.

The gunman, identified by police as Chicago resident Jared Nightengale, 32, initially began the shooting spree around 5:40 p.m. at the 5300 block of East End Ave in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Nightengale killed two people, hijacked a vehicle and made his way to the 9300 block of South Halsted in Evanston. He then killed a 20-year-old man while holding up a CVS Pharmacy and injured an 81-year-old woman.

The two victims killed at East End include an apartment security guard and a student at the University of Chicago. The University described the victim, 30-year-old PhD student Yiran Fan, as "in the 4th year of the Joint Program in Financial Economics, and was hoping to propose his dissertation later this year."

Nightengale then shot a 15-year-old girl, placing her in critical condition, and engaged in crossfire with police officers. The shooting spree continued at the IHOP restaurant on Asbury Ave, where the gunman took a woman hostage inside the building. He eventually exited and engaged in another firefight with police, where he was killed by officers. Evanston Police declared the scene safe at 9:15 p.m.

In light of the shootings, videos came to light of Nightengale threatening to go on a shooting spree while raving a gun around. Per the Chicago Sun-Times, the videos were posted to Facebook under a false account and showed Nightengale apparently searching for victims, stating, "I'm lookin' for somebody by theyself, you know what I mean, walkin' to they car. Might be this guy." Another recording acquired by the Sun-Times also appears to depict Nightengale, where he states, "I'm going to blow up the whole community."

A relative of the gunman, Annette Nightengale, told the press that, "he was a very determined young man, trying to do whatever he could for his children. It's a great loss for his family." Additionally, another relative, possibly Nightengale's sister, wrote on Facebook that, "my brother was not and hadn't been in his right mind for a long time...My condolences to any families affected by his mental break."

Nightengale reportedly worked numerous jobs. His Linkedin page, per the Sun-Times, listed him as a janitor, taxi driver, and security guard, although the owner of the security company had reportedly never heard of him. Nightengale had reportedly suffered from mental illness for a number of years.

In a statement, Evanston Mayor Stephen Hagerty denounced the shootings while lauding the brave efforts of the Evanston Police. "While we are still learning more about the offender, his motive, and the totality of yesterday's tragic events, one thing is clear: if not for the brave actions of the Evanston and Chicago police, many more innocent lives would've been lost," Hagerty's statement read. "I would like to extend my deepest gratitude and appreciation to the Evanston and Chicago police officers who put their lives on the line yesterday."