Jason Nightengale and the 2021 Chicago–Evanston Shooting Spree
Overview
Jason Nightengale was a 32-year-old Chicago man responsible for a deadly series of apparently random shootings across Chicago and neighboring Evanston, Illinois, on January 9, 2021. During a rampage lasting several hours, Nightengale attacked people in a parking garage, residential buildings, a convenience store, a vehicle and an IHOP restaurant. Five victims ultimately died, two women were seriously wounded and several other people were threatened or endangered. Nightengale was killed during a confrontation with Evanston police officers that evening. Investigators did not establish a clear motive connecting him to the people he attacked.
The First Killing in Hyde Park
The shooting spree began at approximately 1:50 p.m. on January 9, 2021, in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Nightengale entered a parking garage connected to the Regents Park apartment complex near the 5300 block of South East End Avenue. Inside the garage, he approached a vehicle occupied by 30-year-old Yiran Fan and shot him.
Fan was a doctoral student studying financial economics at the University of Chicago. He had been sitting inside his vehicle when he was attacked and had no known connection to Nightengale. Fan was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. His killing became the first confirmed attack in a sequence that moved south through Chicago before reaching Evanston.
Attack at the East End Avenue Apartment Building
Nightengale next entered an apartment building at 4940 South East End Avenue. Once inside, he encountered 46-year-old Aisha Johnson, who worked as the building’s door attendant. Nightengale shot Johnson, killing her at the front desk where she had been performing her job.
A 77-year-old resident was also attacked after entering the building’s lobby to collect her mail. Nightengale shot the woman in the head. She survived but was critically injured. The woman’s identity was not publicly released. Nightengale then left the building and continued moving through the South Side.
Vehicle Theft and the Convenience Store Shooting
Nightengale entered another residential building in the 5500 block of South East End Avenue and obtained a red Toyota from a person he knew. He used the vehicle to travel to AK Food Mart at 9307 South Halsted Street in Chicago’s Brainerd neighborhood.
Inside the store, Nightengale shot 20-year-old Anthony Faulkner Jr., who was working behind the counter. He also shot an 81-year-old female employee in the neck and back. Faulkner died from his injuries, while the woman survived after receiving emergency medical treatment.
Nightengale went behind the counter, removed money from the cash register and fled. He later returned to the area and fired at Chicago police officers who were investigating the store shooting. A bullet struck a police vehicle, but none of the officers were injured.
Shooting of Damia Smith
At approximately 4:00 p.m., Nightengale approached a vehicle in the 10300 block of South Halsted Street. Fifteen-year-old Damia Smith was sitting in the back seat while her mother was inside a nearby store. Nightengale opened fire on the vehicle, striking Damia in the head.
Damia was transported to a hospital in critical condition and remained hospitalized for several weeks. She died from her injuries on February 2, 2021, becoming the fifth person to die as a result of Nightengale’s rampage. Her death occurred more than three weeks after the shooting.
Journey to Evanston
Nightengale drove north from Chicago into Evanston. At a CVS Pharmacy located at 101 Asbury Avenue, he entered the store and announced that he was robbing it. He fired at least one shot, but no one inside was struck.
Nightengale then crossed the street and entered an IHOP restaurant. Inside, he encountered 61-year-old Marta Torres. Reports indicated that Nightengale briefly held Torres before shooting her. She was critically wounded and transported to a hospital. Torres died on January 17, 2021, eight days after the attack.
Final Confrontation with Police
After leaving the IHOP, Nightengale encountered Evanston police officers responding to the shootings. Officers pursued him near the intersection of Asbury Avenue and Howard Street. Nightengale exchanged gunfire with police as he moved toward a nearby Dollar General store.
Evanston officers shot Nightengale during the confrontation. He was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead. No police officers were injured. His death ended a rampage that had crossed multiple neighborhoods, covered miles of the Chicago area and left five victims dead.
Victims Killed
- Yiran Fan, 30 — Shot on January 9, 2021, inside a parking garage near the 5300 block of South East End Avenue in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Fan was a doctoral student at the University of Chicago and was sitting inside his vehicle when he was attacked.
- Aisha Johnson, 46 — Shot and killed on January 9, 2021, while working as a door attendant at an apartment building located at 4940 South East End Avenue in Chicago.
- Anthony Faulkner Jr., 20 — Shot and killed on January 9, 2021, while working inside AK Food Mart at 9307 South Halsted Street in Chicago.
- Marta Torres, 61 — Shot on January 9, 2021, inside the IHOP restaurant near Asbury Avenue and Howard Street in Evanston. She died from her injuries on January 17, 2021.
- Damia Smith, 15 — Shot on January 9, 2021, while sitting in a vehicle in the 10300 block of South Halsted Street in Chicago. She died from her injuries on February 2, 2021.
Surviving Shooting Victims
- Unidentified 77-year-old woman — Shot in the head on January 9, 2021, inside the apartment building at 4940 South East End Avenue while collecting her mail. She survived despite suffering critical injuries.
- Unidentified 81-year-old woman — Shot in the neck and back on January 9, 2021, inside AK Food Mart at 9307 South Halsted Street. She survived the attack.
Background and Possible Motive
Nightengale had a criminal record that included arrests and convictions before the shooting spree. However, authorities found no evidence that his victims had been selected because of any shared relationship, occupation or personal dispute. The attacks occurred at unrelated locations, and most of the victims appeared to have been encountered by chance.
Nightengale posted troubling and erratic material on social media before the shootings, including statements in which he referred to himself using different identities and made claims suggesting paranoia or delusional thinking. Because Nightengale died before he could be questioned, investigators were unable to obtain a direct explanation for his actions. His precise motive therefore remained unknown.
Aftermath
The attacks forced Chicago and Evanston authorities to reconstruct Nightengale’s movements across numerous crime scenes. Police reviewed surveillance recordings, witness accounts, ballistic evidence and emergency calls to determine how the incidents were connected. What initially appeared to be separate shootings in different neighborhoods was eventually identified as one continuous rampage committed by the same gunman.
The deaths devastated several families and communities. Yiran Fan was remembered as a talented scholar with a promising academic career. Aisha Johnson was mourned by residents who knew her through her work at the apartment building. Anthony Faulkner Jr. was remembered by relatives and friends as a young man devoted to his family. Marta Torres and Damia Smith initially survived their wounds, leaving their families hoping for recovery before both later died.
The January 9, 2021, shootings became one of the Chicago area’s most widely reported acts of mass violence that year. Nightengale’s unpredictable movement between residential buildings, businesses and public streets complicated the initial police response and placed numerous people in danger. The incident ended only when Evanston police confronted and fatally shot him near the border between Chicago and Evanston.
