Mike Bussan, an Uber driver, picked up two young men and rushed them to Northwestern Memorial Hospital after they were shot near the Bronzeville neighborhood on April 29, 2021. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)Mike Bussan dropped off his Uber passenger and doubled back toward the scene of a car accident he’d noticed a few minutes earlier to check it out, to make sure everyone was all right.
They weren’t.
He found a 21-year-old man riddled with bullets, unable to stand; his brother calling out for help; and, Bussan said, a largely indifferent crowd of about 10 people standing around, recording with their phones.
The victim’s brother, whose age is unknown, was limping and trying to call an ambulance. But without an exact address, the dispatcher wasn’t able to send one.
“Get the f— in the car! Now!” Bussan screamed, taking matters into his own hands.
.Less than 10 minutes, and several hopped curbs and cautiously run red lights later, Bussan pulled his Infiniti Qx80 SUV into Northwestern Memorial Hospital, about 2.5 miles away. He estimates he hit 100 mph on one stretch of Columbus Drive.
“He was saying, ‘Bro, I love you, brother, I got you, stay awake, stay awake,” Bussan said. On the way, the man’s brother called the pair’s mom, who Bussan said was a nurse, and she told him to stop the bleeding with his shirt. Video from inside the SUV, provided to media by Bussan, shows the man placing his hands over wounds in the 21-year-old’s abdomen.
The wounded man remains in critical condition as of Wednesday evening, according to the police.
The experience left the back of the luxury SUV soaked in blood and Bussan, 46, “disgusted” with the situation, he said in an interview Wednesday evening.
Before being picked up in the 1000 block of South Clark Street by Bussan, the brothers were in a silver Chevrolet Malibu parked in the 2900 block of South Indiana Avenue at about 11:20 p.m. Police say they were there to conduct “an illegal narcotics transaction that was prearranged via social media.”
An unknown number of offenders approached the Malibu and opened fire, hitting the 21-year-old several times. He was moved from the driver’s seat, police said, and his brother — who wasn’t identified by police — sped off in the Chevy in an attempt to get to a hospital. The Malibu eventually crashed into a Jeep Wrangler in the Dearborn Park neighborhood, near the Target at the intersection of Clark Street and Roosevelt Road.
It’s not clear if the brother’s limp was from gunshot wounds or the crash.
Despite heroic accolades pouring in as his story hit the media, Bussan, who lives near Burr Ridge, was decidedly downtrodden and emotional the day after. Some at the scene told him they had called an ambulance, but at least five cars were stopped near the accident, he said, and no one had stepped in to take the 21-year-old, clearly seriously wounded, to the hospital.
“I’m actually disgusted with the people in Illinois,” Bussan said. “Basically, what this proved today is there is a cost for a person’s life, and it’s 50 shares or 300 likes or this number of comments. There’s a number that makes it OK.”
Bussan — who has worked as a film and TV producer, including on “The Jerry Springer Show” — said he noticed a similar social media dynamic while attending a protest over the death of George Floyd — a feeling that posting pictures from the event took precedence over the concern for common humanity.
“Just put the camera down and pick someone up,” he extolled, his voice rising in emotion and anger.
The interior of much of Bussan’s vehicle, his source of income, is badly damaged. Blood soaked the seat cushions, headrests, and carpeting, and filled the switches on the doors, all of which will have to be replaced as it represent a biohazard. Between the cost of the repairs and the lost income, while the car is in the shop, Bussan estimates his actions will cost him thousands. He was looking into filing a claim with his insurance company but was told they would seek reimbursement from the driver of the Malibu.
“This kid’s on a ventilator right now, and you want to go after the mom in three months? No, I’m not gonna do that. I’ll figure it out,” Bussan said.
On Thursday, activist Ja’mal Green wanted to help Bussan fix the damage. Bussan declined.
“I want you to give it to the family,” Bussan told Green.
Bussan says the only way he could fix his car is if he gets the whole interior replaced. He says it could cost up to 20,000. He doesn’t want to be the focus of people’s attention, however. He wants locals interested in donating to help the man who was shot.
Bussan says he plans to set up a GoFundMe for the shooting victim’s medical bills.
As for the reward money, the good Samaritan said that he gave the $5,000 Green offered him to the brother who was injured in the shooting.
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