Bystanders playing softball among those hit by gunfire in Washington Park mass shooting
CHICAGO (CBS) – Police said two groups were shooting at each other in Washington Park Tuesday night. The incident left Two killed, seven injured in Washington Park shooting.
Lionel Coward, 43, and Khalil Denny, 19 were the two men killed. Police said they're looking into whether the shooting was gang-related.
A softball game was going on nearby. Police found 43 shell casings on the ground. The shooting took place toward the north end of the park near 51st Street and Champlain Avenue.
CBS 2's Jackie Kostek reported that some innocent bystanders were among those shot.
Members of an anti-violence organization said they started a softball league this summer which was playing in that game near where the shooting took place. Organizers said several people involved with that game were hit.
"About a block away, some shots were being fired," said Torrence Cooks, the program manager for Accllivus Inc., the anti-violence organization. "We heard it and got down on the ground."
The purpose of the 10-team softball league Cooks started this summer is to help neighborhoods communicate with each other, putting them head-to-head on the baseball diamond.
Cooks said the league has gone five weeks with no incidents. That changed Tuesday night when, police said, nine people were shot, two of them killed, when two groups, likely gangs, started shooting at each other.
"Some of the bullets ended up coming across the field and hit a few people," said Cooks. "It's got me really bothered because I invite those people out."
This comes as Washington Park, home to the DuSable Museum of African American History and known as a cultural hub of the South Side, just welcomed back Universoul Circus for its first run since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cedric Walker, founder and president of Universoul Circus, said the circus had already ramped up its security program before the shooting. Wednesday night's show was scheduled to go on as planned.
"We're art and art is uplifting," Walker said. "The unity between families and community ... not only does this tent rise, but the community rises."
Dr. Ewa Ewa, chair of the African International House, spent the morning walking through the park with Chicago Park District leaders, making sure nothing was amiss after hosting the African Festival of the Arts for four days las weekend. Troubled by the shooting, Ewa said the festival has gone 33 years in the park without a violent incident.
"Sometimes people get in arguments and in 30 seconds, you see people pulling out their guns," Ewa said. "For what? Ask yourself, why do I have to kill somebody or even shoot somebody because you have a difference? It doesn't make any sense."
With the Universoul Circus continuing its shows as planned, Walker said that ramped up security protocols include more security officers, lighting, wanding, and bag checks.