An 18-year-old man was killed and eight other teenagers were wounded in two separate shootings downtown, with violence unfolding late on a bustling Friday night that saw thousands of people gather downtown to kick off the holiday season.
Seven teens were wounded in the first attack about 9:50 p.m. in the city’s iconic 100 block of North State, just outside the Chicago Theatre and a few hours after the city’s annual tree-lighting ceremony in nearby Millennium Park.
Less than an hour after that shooting, five blocks away, officers found two 18-year-old men shot in the 100 block of South Dearborn, about 10:40 p.m.
One of them died with multiple gunshot wounds at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The other was taken there in serious condition with a leg wound, “unable to provide further details of the incident,” according to a statement from the Chicago Police Department.
Officers on patrol ahead of the State Street shooting “observed a large group on the sidewalk” and heard gunshots that sent people scattering, police said.
Three teenage boys ranging in age from 14 to 17 suffered graze wounds. Two more, ages 14 and 16, suffered leg wounds, and a 14-year-old girl was shot in the hip. Chicago Fire Department paramedics took them to hospitals where they were later listed in good condition, police said.
The seventh victim, a 13-year-old girl, was shot in the leg and taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital in fair condition.
No one was in custody for either of the shootings Saturday morning.
ABC7 staffers reported hearing gunfire right outside its State Street studios. Police evidence technicians later searched for shell casings under the bright lights of the iconic Chicago Theatre marquee.
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said in a social media post that hundreds of juveniles had been “rioting” in the Loop. He also said officers were “attacked and injured with mace and stun guns.” Police did not provide additional details.
Chicago officials have wrangled for years over the problems that have often come with large groups of unsupervised young people gathering in the Loop. Some, including Hopkins, have pushed to authorize police to declare curfews with 30 minutes’ notice in order to tamp down chaotic scenes.
Allies of Mayor Brandon Johnson, who vetoed a snap curfew measure that passed the City Council over the summer, instead have pushed to create more jobs and recreational opportunities as outlets for young people on the South and West sides of the city, where resources are often scant.