Shotgun Man

Who is Shotgun Man?

Shotgun Man was an assassin and spree killer in Chicago, Illinois in the 1910s, to whom murders by Black Hand extortionists were attributed. Most notably, Shotgun Man killed 15 Italian immigrants between January 1, 1910 and March 26, 1911 at "Death Corner," the intersection of Oak Street and Milton Street in what was then Chicago's Little Sicily. In March 1911, he reportedly murdered four people within a 72-hour period.

Although witnessed by dozens of bystanders, the Chicago police were never able to identify the murderer. However, he was said to be well known throughout the Italian community and, with the political influence of the Black Hand, residents may have been hesitant to turn in the assassin. Although the fate of Shotgun Man is unknown, he seems to have disappeared from Little Italy shortly before Prohibition, as extortion operations of the Black Hand all but faded away by the end of the decade.