A mass shooting that left at least 2 dead and 8 injured near the Chicago Red Line station on Thursday evening unfolded less than an hour after a series of disturbances involving groups of people in the area.
Police detained a suspected gunman on the nearby Chicago-State Red Line platform minutes after the shooting. He was part of a crowd that fled into the station after shots rang out.
Some people fled onto the Red Line tracks, witnesses said, and a woman who apparently contacted the electrified third rail suffered burns, but was initially said to have survived. Police also found at least one gun near an emergency exit in the tunnel.
Here’s what we have learned so far:
Early indications of a problem came around 9:45 p.m. when 911 callers reported a group of about ten teens fighting near the intersection of Rush and Chicago. One caller, a woman, said six other females were threatening her, one of whom had a knife.
Officers who went to the area said they dispersed a crowd of about “30 youths” who had been “running around” the intersection of State and Wabash.
Then, just after 10 p.m., cops radioed after hearing shots fired across the area. Officers again responded to Chicago and State said they saw a man running from the area with a gun in his hand.
Police detained him and at least one other person near Pearson and State. Officers said they recovered a gun, too.
Cops also found evidence that a person had been shot at the same time on the 400 block of West Locust. Officers said they found a gun on the ground, nine shell casings, blood, and a shattered window — but no people — at the scene.
One victim from that shooting, a 29-year-old man, was reportedly found with a bullet-riddled car on the 100 block of South Sacramento in East Garfield Park. He suffered gunshot wounds to his right forearm and left ankle and was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said.
A second man, 32, walked into Northwestern Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. Police said the two men shot at each other during an argument.
Then, at 10:41 p.m., an officer who was monitoring a CPD camera feed from State and Chicago reported shots were being fired.
Police returned to the intersection and found four people down with gunshot wounds outside the McDonald’s, 10 East Chicago, and one person down inside the restaurant, a sergeant said.
Bullets shattered the windows and doors of the restaurant. Officers said there were dozens of shell casings at the scene.
The camera operator tracked the gunman to the nearby Red Line station and reported that the suspect changed clothes, then continued to the platform. Police arrested the suspect there. While 911 callers reported seeing other men with guns running from the shooting scene, police have only mentioned one shooter as of 8 a.m.
CPD has not released any information about the victims.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot released the following statement:
“An outrageous act of violence was committed last night in the area of Chicago and State. I have been in frequent contact throughout the early morning hours with Superintendent Brown and his team, as well as President Carter of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), and I will continue to monitor developments throughout the day.
“Area residents, commuters, and others simply must have the peace of mind that this highly trafficked area is safe, and it is time for more specific, concrete steps to be taken to address this area once and for all.
“First, I have asked Superintendent Brown to install a fixed post of uniformed officers at the intersection of State and Chicago and a separate fixed post in the Red Line station in the same area.
“Second, I have also engaged the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection to determine what if any additional measures need to be taken to address long-standing concerns along that block. That work has already begun.
“Lastly, I have asked the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and CTA to continue to work together to have our CPD Public Transportation Section with visible patrols of stations, platforms, and trains 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Most importantly, it is simply awful, and unacceptable that once again, another tragedy occurs because firearms are in the hands of people who simply do not care about themselves or the value of another’s life. Our police department is hard at work to make sure those responsible for last night’s incident are held accountable, for the safety and well-being of us all.”
