Royal Shorts, a 33-year-old African American man from Hammond, Indiana, was fatally shot in Chicago on September 18, 2021. The shooting occurred about 3:50 a.m. in the 800 block of North Orleans Street near River North. Shorts was standing next to his vehicle when someone in a blue SUV opened fire, striking him in the chest. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Investigators recovered seven shell casings at the scene and believe the shooter fled in a blue Volkswagen SUV. Area Three detectives were assigned to the case. No arrests or publicly identified suspects had been announced and the motive remained unclear. If anyone was in the River North area that early morning or has information about a blue Volkswagen SUV and this shooting, please come forward.