“Chicago is a war zone.” It’s a phrase we don’t use here at CWB Chicago. Our town has its problems, some of them big and messy, and violent crime is one of them. But hyperbole doesn’t help.
And then these videos arrived, documenting nearly 40 seconds of solid, uninterrupted gunfire involving at least five men, one of whom is clearly armed with a rifle, on a West Town street last weekend. While the resulting carnage was, thankfully, not on par with a battlefield, the sounds you are about to hear will rightfully conjure up thoughts of a war zone.
Miraculously, while we count at least 100 shots fired during the shootout, CPD says only one person was injured, and he was left in good condition.
The footage documents a barrage of gunfire near the intersection of Fulton Street and Washtenaw Avenue around 2:25 a.m. last Saturday, April 4. It comes to us from a reader who asked to remain anonymous.
One clip, taken from street level, shows people coming and going from a nearby business — it appears to be a recording studio on Google Maps — for several minutes without incident. Then gunshots begin echoing through the streets from a short distance away. And they keep going and going.
A couple of times, you’ll hear the unmistakable, high-pitched shriek of a bullet speeding past the camera.
After some 27 seconds of continuous gunfire — yes, 27 seconds of continuous gunfire — at least four men enter camera view with firearms. Some of them are seen running into the street and returning fire downrange. They jog off-screen for a moment, then return and briefly mingle in front of the camera, some holding firearms in plain view, one toting a rifle, others more discreet.
For the next few minutes, people yell about the importance of leaving the scene. Others come out of the business next door and fetch rides. Eventually, police sirens are heard, and the slowpokes apparently realize they don’t have enough time to leave without encountering CPD, so they go back inside.
The second video captures the sound of the gunfire from above, where a deck overlooks the street. People are seen looking down on the shootout as shot after shot is fired.
In its summary of the shooting, CPD said a 31-year-old man was in a parked vehicle when a light blue sedan and a red sedan pulled alongside, and occupants of both vehicles began firing at his car. The victim exited the vehicle and sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the body, according to the police statement. No arrests have been announced as of Friday morning.
Editor’s note: This story originally stated the shooting occurred in Humboldt Park. In fact, Humboldt Park’s border is about a block north of the shooting scene. The shooting occurred in the West Town neighborhood and the East Garfield Park community area.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
