Chicago Police Investigate Shooting In River North As Area Shootings Increase
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An early morning shooting in River North Saturday led to a police investigation. It's part of a growing number in the district.
Just before 5 a.m. shots were fired at a group of people near Franklin and Huron, a neighborhood where there are restaurants, bars and clubs as well as a history of early morning incidents.
Officers came to the block in search of a black Chevy Impala that left the crime scene.
Police said the vehicle was later found on Sawyer near Diversey, but the driver was nowhere to be found.
Back in May cell phone video surfaced of a gun battle outside a River North club between an SUV and a Rolls Royce that eventually crashed on the Kennedy Expressway's Ontario feeder after more than 40 shots were fired.
The two incidents are separated by just blocks.
Shooting incidents for the district are up 55% so far this year compared to the same period a year ago, totaling at least 17 shooting in the area, compared to 11 in 2018.
"Wow that's a lot more than I expected," said neighbor Daniel Wei.
Wei said despite the gun violence, the area he calls home feels safe. But he's waiting and watching to see if there will be fewer similar scenes.
"I'm hoping it's just a coincidental slew of events that's just, you know, Chicago summer, and people are getting rowdy," he said. "But I hope it's not a trend for the worst."
CBS 2 reached out to the alderman for the area but has not heard back yet.
The Chicago Police Department said to expect increased patrols and plainclothes officers going forward in the area.