1 Killed, 1 Wounded In Bronzeville Shooting
CHICAGO (CBS) -- One man was killed, and another was wounded, when they were shot in the Bronzeville neighborhood Saturday evening.
Police said the men were shot around 6:15 p.m. in the 2900 block of South State Street.
Ralph McNeal, 54, was pronounced dead less than an hour later, after he was taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
A 26-year-old man also was taken to Stroger Hospital, and was in critical condition, according to the Fire Department.
The location where they were shot was along the Safe Passage route for Drake Elementary School, which is being consolidated with Urban Prep Academies' Bronzeville Campus, at 2710 S. Dearborn St.
The Safe Passage routes were mapped out to keep kids out of harm's way as they cross gang boundaries on their way to and from their new schools, following the closing of 49 elementary schools this summer.
However, although the Safe Passage routes have been mapped out for parents and students; the police officers, and Safe Passage workers, and volunteers who will man those routes won't be staffing them until school begins on Aug. 26.
CPS has hired 600 workers for the Safe Passage program, and Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said another 1,800 volunteers have signed up to staff the routes.
