Eric Zyzanski, a 31-year-old man, died on August 3, 2014, in his south Evanston apartment after an accidental, self-inflicted shotgun wound. Police were called to the 800 block of Howard Street at about 9:45 p.m. and found him on the floor with a head wound and the shotgun beside him. He was taken to Saint Francis Hospital, where he was pronounced dead that night. The Cook County medical examiner identified him, and an obituary later noted he “suddenly passed away” on that date.
According to investigators, Zyzanski had been at home with several friends when he retrieved a shotgun to show them. Alarmed, they urged him to put it away. He removed two or three rounds, assured them the gun was empty, then held it to his face and pulled the trigger. Detectives interviewed the witnesses, whose accounts matched one another and were corroborated by physical evidence processed at the scene; the investigation deemed the shooting accidental. He was pronounced dead at 10:18 p.m., shortly after the incident.
No arrests were made, and police did not identify any suspects or evidence of foul play. Coverage at the time consistently described the death as an accidental shooting, and official statements from Evanston police indicated the case was investigated and closed as an accident.
