Chicago — A shootout involving at least two gunmen left a man seriously injured in the Loop on Saturday evening, according to Chicago police and witnesses. No arrests have been made in the case, which continues a record-setting pace for shootings in the heart of Chicago’s struggling downtown neighborhood.
In a brief media statement, Chicago police said, “a 19 year old male victim was standing outside when several shots were fired. The victim was struck once on the groin and arm and was transported to Northwestern where he is listed in serious condition. There is no one in custody and Area Three Detectives are investigating.”
But witnesses provided much more detail. Two, possibly three, gunmen ran down Wells Street while firing weapons, then fled in a silver car, according to an employee of a nearby business.
Bullet holes were visible in windows and doors at Citibank, McDonald’s, and Starbucks.
Chicago police taped off an entire city block along Wells Street and onto Adams. Crime scene markers were placed next to at least 24 shell casings, some from handguns and others from a rifle.
An officer who went to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with the victim said the man had gunshot wounds to his groin, arms, foot, and buttock.
Saturday’s shooting victim is the 36th person shot in the Loop this year, up from 27 last year to 20 in 2020. Those numbers are significantly higher than longer-term trends in the Loop, which has typically seen annual shooting totals in the single digits.
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