3 Men Injured In River North Parking Garage Shooting, One Identified In Video As Rapper Lil Reese; Officer's Gun Also Accidentally Discharged
CHICAGO (CBS)-- Three men were shot and wounded in broad daylight Saturday morning in a parking garage in River North, amid a major shopping district.
One of the men was seriously injured.
As CBS 2's Steven Graves reported, police late Saturday said an officer's gun also accidentally discharged while responding to the shooting. They say it was an accident, and it is unclear if the officer's gunfire hit anyone.
But on Saturday night, well-wishes on social media point to one victim being a well-known Chicago rapper.
Police were called at 9:50 a.m. for the seemingly targeted shooting in the garage in the 0-99 block of West Grand Avenue, just west of State Street. The busy garage has parking for apartments and general parking.
Shoppers in the busy retail area were forced to turnaround.
"When we got here, it was just, police were everywhere," said tourist Brett Snouffer. "We come to Chicago quite a bit and we have yet to see something like this."
Inside the garage, a sport-utility vehicle crashed into a pillar on the third floor of the garage. There were at least three bullet holes in the side window.
JUST IN: Video from inside the Near North parking garage on Grand where three men were shot this morning.
— Steven Graves (@StevenGravesTV) May 15, 2021
You can see a crashed SUV with bullet holes in the window. I'm live on @cbschicago at 5 with the latest. https://t.co/OulhXK8qmg pic.twitter.com/kBmofJMhkq
Police found three men injured. We know the bloodshed spilled outside with stains on the pavement after some men ran from the garage.
Paramedics took the men - ages 20, 27, and 28 - to nearby hospitals.
The youngest man was shot once to the knee and was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County, while the 27-year-old man was shot multiple times throughout the body and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
"It makes me feel concerned about my safety and my girlfriend's safety and everybody else's safety around here," said tourist Andrew Picou.
Graphic video of the shooting aftermath that CBS 2 is not airing identifies one victim as Chicago rapper Lil Reese.
People are heard calling out his name.
The manager of Lil Reese's Instagram page issued a post asking the public to keep the musician and his family in their prayers.
Three hours later, there was a positive message saying, "GOD IS GREAT."
In December 2019, Lil Reese posted something to the page detailing how he was recently shot in the neck. He wrote how it was a gift to still be alive.
We're working confirm details including a motive in the shooting. As of Saturday night, no one was in custody and Area Three detectives were investigating.
Workers at the garage had no comment.