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| The boy was shot at the bottom of the staircase at left in an area known for narcotics activity. | Google |
A 14-year-old boy is in good condition after being shot in the knee on Lower Wacker Drive in the Loop on Friday evening. No one is in custody, but police said the investigation is “progressing.”
Police said the shooting took place just after 6 p.m. at 35 East Lower Wacker Drive, an area frequented by homeless people that is rife with narcotics activity. The boy was seen “purchasing merchandise” on Lower Wacker when a man rode by on a Divvy bike and opened fire, according to police and witnesses. Three shell casings were found.
“The area is heavily surrounded with cameras,” police said tonight.
Police described the gunman as an older man with a gray beard who was wearing a red hat or red bandana, a gray shirt, jeans, and white shoes. He was last seen pedaling a Divvy bike eastbound on Lower Wacker, police said. Officers were unsure of the man’s race.
Friends of the victim told police that they were certain that another person had been shot in the incident, but no other victims have been located. Officers were searching the catacombs of Lower Wacker Drive to see if they could find any persons down.
The teen is in good condition at Lurie Children’s Hospital.
A municipal staircase on the northwest corner of Upper Wacker and Wabash leads to an underworld populated by skyscraper loading docks, homeless people, and narcotics activity.
On February 2, police officers tried to stop four-time convicted felon Shomari Legghette at the foot of the staircase to speak with him about an attempted shooting in the area. Legghette fled up the stairs and was later chased by 18th District Police Commander Paul Bauer. Seconds later, Legghette shot Bauer to death outside the Thompson Center. Legghette is awaiting trial.
At the time, CWBChicago wrote about the troubles of 35 East Lower Wacker Drive:
Standing on the corner of Wacker and Wabash, one enjoys Chicago’s postcard view. The soaring Trump Tower, the bridges, the river—it’s the sight you came here to see.
Then there’s the staircase. Located next to a bustling 7-Eleven and across the street from the tourist-friendly Hotel Monaco and Virgin Hotel, the iron-wrapped stairs lead down to a much different view of Chicago.
