Two people had been killed on Thursday in separate shootings on the Eisenhower Expressway.

Illinois State Police said that the first shooting took place around 5:30 AM. on the outbound lanes of I-290 near South Laramie Avenue. The second occurred nearly seven hours later, around 12 PM, on the inbound lanes of I-290 near South Central Avenue. Illinois State Police said that they do not believe the shootings are related.

The victims in the first shooting had been identified as Jonathan David Oritz, an aspiring rapper who went by the name "John Doe," and his girlfriend Alexis Garcia, both 22, who were driving a white Jeep Liberty. Ortiz was killed, and Garcia was shot in the back and is at Stroger Hospital in critical condition.

Pedro Ortiz, the victim's brother said that, "He's a local rapper. Up and coming. He just performed at the House of Blues Sept. 9. Apparently he had the opening for Drake and Future Oct. 5 at the United Center. That was his big deal. That was upcoming. But apparently they took him from that” .

The Jeep had been found just before 6 AM on West Flournoy Street near South Lockwood Avenue, just north of the expressway. The driver's side window was blown out.

The victim in the second shooting has been identified as 22 years old Devon Almon, the passenger in the car with his girlfriend who was not injured. She drove Almon to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park where he was pronounce dead.

A black, four-door sedan was towed from outside the emergency room, riddled with bullet holes. A witness near Central Avenue and the I-290 inbound ramp said that they heard at least 10 shots fired.

The witness, who did not want to be named said, "I heard three shots, quickly turned around a saw the fourth shot going into the car. By the time the fifth shot was going off, I was running up to the bushes. There was some four to five shots after that”.

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By Prakriti Neogi