Community "scared" after mass shooting kills 3, wounds 5 on Chicago's Southwest Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The search continues for the person, or people, responsible for a mass shooting at a birthday party Monday afternoon on the city's Southwest Side.
Eight people—four men and four women—were shot around 2 p.m. Monday afternoon in the house at 3511 W. 59th St. in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. Three of the four men – 28-year-old Jon Carlos Blancarcer, 26-year-old Hector Sajo, and 32-year-old Osmer Angel Ferrer Oria – were killed, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
On Tuesday, investigators from the Chicago Police Department and the city's Department of Buildings were on the scene. But as of Tuesday afternoon, Chicago Police said the investigation remained ongoing with no one charged.
According to a preliminary police report, some people had gathered for a birthday party at the house on 59th Street—and the fight appeared to have broken out in a basement hallway, where two men were found shot dead.
A third man died at a local hospital.
The five surviving victims—one man and four women—were all hospitalized. All the victims were between the ages of 20 and 35.
Neighbors said they started noticing large house parties at the house within the last six or seven months. Chicago Police said they had been called to the house before.
"I was informed it was nothing major," Ald. Jeylu Gutierrez (14th) said Wednesday. "Apparently, they just like to party, so it was just a lot of music happening sometimes."
Gutierrez said she is working on making her community safer.
Ald. Ray Lopez (15th)—whose ward borders the crime scene—spoke out Tuesday about the violence.
"The community is scared," Lopez said. "The community is nervous."
Lopez called on CPD and the Department of Buildings to investigate fully any possible red flags concerning the 59th Street property in the past.
"Whatever the issue is, we need to rectify that, because this is a story that replicates itself throughout every neighborhood in the city Chicago—where these quality-of-life issues are not getting as much attention as we would like," Lopez said.
A motive for the mass shooting still remained unclear late Tuesday. It also remained unknown whether the victims were related.