Woman, caught in crossfire of River North shootout, suffers graze wound early Monday

A woman suffered a graze wound to her foot when she found herself in the middle of a shootout between the occupants of two cars in River North early Monday, according to police.

The woman, age 32, was walking across the 600 block of North Wells when people began exchanging gunfire between two SUVs around 1:56 a.m., police said. One round grazed the woman’s right foot. Investigators do not believe she was the intended target.

Bullets damaged windows of Al’s Beef and other businesses near Ontario and Wells. | Provided

An acquaintance of the woman took her to Stroger Hospital where she was treated and released.

CPD said in a statement that the gunfire involved the occupants of a white SUV and a blue SUV, but the department did not release any descriptions of the offenders. Area Three detectives are investigating.

The woman is the fifth person shot in the downtown area since Thursday:

  • A man was critically wounded in a shootout on the corner of Wabash and Wacker in the Loop around 2 a.m. Sunday. Investigators found about 12 shell casings from two different handguns near the victim, and three windows in nearby buildings were damaged by gunfire. The victim’s friend refused to cooperate with police and declined to give the man’s name to authorities. The victim, believed to be in his late teens, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
  • Around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, a 31-year-old man was shot in the hip on the 800 block of North Cambridge. Police said the victim, who has a history of contact with CPD, did not cooperate with investigators. He was listed in fair condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
  • A 15-year-old girl was critically wounded while driving a pickup truck with her mother and other family members near Buckingham Fountain around 11:37 p.m. Thursday, police said. The girl, who driving on a learner’s permit, was stopped at a red light on the 500 block of South Lake Shore Drive when someone opened fire on their truck from a four-door Ford Expedition, according to police. One round struck the girl in her stomach.
  • An armed robber shot a 24-year-old man in the 500 block of North Wabash at 2:09 a.m. Thursday, June 3. Police said the victim was shot when he chased the offender after the hold-up. The victim was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in fair condition with a gunshot wound to his hip.

No charges have been filed in any of the cases as of Monday morning.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com