Stray gunfire kills 64-year-old gas station owner in West Town; teen wounded

CHICAGO - A 64-year-old gas station owner was killed by a stray bullet Tuesday morning after gunmen opened fire in West Town, also wounding a 17-year-old boy.

Surveillance footage shows four males get out of a black Lexus about 10:35 a.m. in the 100 block of North Western Avenue and opened fire, Chicago police said.

As the shooting unfolded, the 64-year-old BP gas station owner was unloading items from the trunk of a car, according to a police source.

Police said Mubashar Khan was shot in the chest and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Khan is yet another unintended victim of Chicago violence. He is a longtime resident of Skokie and a longtime businessman in Chicago. He operated three gas stations in the city after moving to Chicago from Pakistan 35 years ago.

“Unexplainable. Unbelievable, and really, very terrible,” longtime family-friend Javeed Rathore said.

“I heard about 12 rounds go off and a couple more rounds after that. Just saw this car sweep by, hit the curb, kept going,” said a man who works next door to the gas station.

Friends say years ago Khan was shot in the head while on the job on the South Side, but survived.

“He didn't lose his courage. He stood up on his feet again. Working hard, taking care of his family,” family-friend Nusrat Choudhry said.

“Mr. Khan was a wonderful guy. Very down to Earth. And very compassionate with his family and with the community and always worked hard to raise his kids, educate them,” Rathore said.

The 17-year-old who was shot suffered two gunshot wounds to his left bicep and took himself to Stroger, police said. It’s unclear if he was the intended target.

“Unfortunately, this is happening in Chicago every other day,” Rathore said.

No arrest has been made, police said.

Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.