A man died after he was shot outside a city-run shelter for migrants in Gage Park Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

       The 28-year-old man, who other migrants said they knew, was on the sidewalk in the 2400 block of West 55th Street at around 12:44 p.m. when an unknown car pulled up, according to police.

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       Someone inside the car pulled out a firearm and fired at the man, striking him in the head. The man was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Medical Center, police said. He was pronounced dead at 3:32 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

       Police did not immediately give his name.

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       Migrants gathered outside the shelter looked across 55th Street at the man’s belongings — a red wide-brimmed hat and a string backpack — on the street corner.

       Several told the Tribune they had received a message from shelter staff that morning not to go outside as police arrived where he was shot.

       Maikol Hidalgo, 23, from Caracas, Venezuela, said he had been at a different shelter with the man when they first arrived in Chicago. They had both been moved to the shelter in Gage Park and were living in apartments nearby, he said, but they would often come back to the park field house to talk and spend time with their friends.

       Hidalgo came back to the shelter when he heard his friend had been shot. He described him as “a peaceful person.”

       “As Venezuelans, we’re all family,” he said.

       A firetruck pulled up and an officer put the man’s belongings in the trash. The officer hosed down the pavement where the shooting happened.

       Hidalgo said that he was used to shootings in his neighborhood in Venezuela.

       “This is normal for me,” he told the Tribune. “Life there isn’t easy.”

       Falling crude oil prices and crippling sanctions have left many Venezuelans without basic supplies, food and health care. Crime in the South American country is widespread.

       [ What to know about Chicago’s migrant crisis ]

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       Considered the largest displacement crisis in the world, approximately 7.7 million Venezuelans have migrated and are currently living outside their country. This amounts to over 25% of the total population of Venezuela.

       Over 26,300 migrants — the majority from Venezuela— have come to Chicago over the past year, mostly sent by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. As of Friday, there were 358 single males and females staying at the shelter in Gage Park.

       Alberto Castillo, 27, from Maracaibo, Venezuela, watched as police walked around across the street from the shelter where he is temporarily living. He said he missed his family.

       “The 24th, we used to buy food. We would celebrate and cook, and walk around and share it,” he said.

       Castillo said he didn’t know the man personally, but was feeling the loss regardless.

       Detectives are investigating.

       nsalzman@chicagotribune.com