At least two people were shot in separate incidents in the Loop as revelers filled Chicago’s downtown area to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day. At times, members of the crowd overwhelmed Chicago police, threw bottles and other objects at officers, and even tried to pull some cops from their patrol cars.
Videos uploaded to the Citizen App showed people climbing on top of a CTA bus to wave Mexican flags. A sports car caught on fire outside the Roosevelt Red Line station while other souped-up vehicles spun donuts in downtown intersections.
Both of the shootings occurred around 1:10 a.m. Saturday, according to Chicago police.
A 32-year-old man who got out of a pickup truck to fight someone in the 100 block of South Wacker was shot in the back when someone opened fire from a red sedan, police said. The injured man returned to the truck, which drove away and stopped in the 300 block of West Monroe.
Police discovered shell casings at the Wacker and Monroe crime scenes. There were two bullet holes in the man’s truck. According to police, he was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition.
At around the same time, a group of people attacked and beat a man as he walked along Wacker Drive near State Street, according to police. One of the assailants fired shots, striking the 27-year-old man in the head. Police said he was in good condition at Northwestern.
No arrests have been made in connection with either shooting.
There were arrests for other matters, but the exact number is unclear, and at least one officer sustained an eye injury. At least two “10-1” police emergencies were declared, and some officers radioed that the crowd was trying to pull them from their squad cars.
This story is developing, and CWBChicago will post updates as they become available.
So far this year, 32 people have been shot in the Loop. That compares to 25 at this point last year; 12 as of this date in 2020; and four in 2019.