A 25-year-old man was fatally shot late Wednesday when a North Side resident with a license to carry a concealed weapon allegedly saw two men trying to steal parts from a nearby parked car, according to Chicago police.

Authorities said a 44-year-old man had been sitting on the steps of his home about 11:15 p.m. “when he heard a loud noise coming from the street.” He walked toward the curb in the 2900 block of North Wolcott Avenue and saw two men he didn’t know under a vehicle, near the engine, possibly trying to steal a catalytic converter or other car parts.

“The two males noticed the (44-year-old) watching and crawled out from underneath the vehicle. Without warning, both (men) drew their weapons and began shooting at (him),” police said in a media notification.

The 44-year-old resident has a license to carry a concealed handgun, which he was armed with at the time, according to police. When he came under fire, he drew his own gun and started shooting at the two men on the street. It wasn’t immediately clear how far apart the men were when they exchanged gunfire, or whether anyone else was in the area.

One of the bullets fired by the resident struck one of the two men in the neck, police said.

Darion Blackman, 25, was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:07 a.m., according to information released by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The second man who had been under the vehicle took off running when the 44-year-old began shooting at him and Blackman, police said.

Initial reports suggest the men were trying to steal a catalytic converter, but a police spokeswoman said she could not confirm the parts in question specifically were catalytic converters.

Chicago police said the second man had not been located or arrested as of early Thursday. Authorities said they could not provide a physical description of the second man.

The 44-year-old was not injured and declined medical treatment when paramedics arrived.

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