Matthew Gibson, a 26-year-old man from Chicago, IL, died on July 22, 2019, after being accidentally shot by his own passenger during a botched drive-by shooting. The incident occurred on the city's South Side in the Park Manor neighborhood. Gibson was driving his vehicle around 5:40 a.m. on the first block of West 71st Street when he pulled up next to a white SUV. Jake Lee, a 27-year-old man who was the front seat passenger in Gibson's car, began firing at the SUV with a .40-caliber handgun.
However, Lee accidentally shot Gibson in the head during the attempt.
Despite the gunshot wound, Gibson managed to drive more than two miles to the 6700 block of South Marshfield. He was pronounced brain dead on Monday, July 22, 2019, but was kept alive so his organs could be donated. An autopsy later confirmed that Gibson died from a gunshot wound to the head, and his death was ruled a homicide.
Jake Lee, the alleged shooter, was charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and is expected to face a murder count. Lee, who had previously been paroled in April 2017 after serving an eight-year sentence for aggravated battery with a handgun, was denied bail during a hearing on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. The Cook County prosecutors portrayed the fatal shooting as a "drive-by gone bad," and surveillance video of the incident did not show any shots being fired from the white SUV.
The tragic death of Matthew Gibson marked the 271st recorded homicide in Chicago for the year 2019, with 243 of those deaths resulting from gun violence. The case highlights the ongoing issue of gun violence in the city and the devastating impact it has on the community.
