1 killed, 14 hurt in 2 separate mass shootings on Chicago's West, Near West Sides
CHICAGO (CBS) — More than a dozen people were hurt in two separate mass shootings overnight on Chicago's West and Near West Sides.
The shootings in Little Italy and South Austin happened less than two hours apart. A total of 15 were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds.
The first shooting happened around 12:14 a.m. in the 1300 block of West Hastings Street.
Police say a shootout between two people happened on the block. Both fled the scene.
Multiple ambulances, Chicago police, and fire crews responded to the scene. Evidence markers littered the street outside where the shooting happened.
Five women and three men were hurt. The youngest victims included two 18-year-old women, and the oldest victim was a 74-year-old woman. Several of the people shot suffered graze wounds or were shot in the leg.
The second mass shooting happened in the 100 block of South Menard Avenue around 1:44 a.m.
Police say they got a call for a person shot. Arriving officers found multiple gunshot victims.
Similar to the first shooting, two other people exchanged gunfire and then left the scene. The seven victims in the second shooting ranged in age from 15 to 40, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
One of the victims, a 40-year-old man shot in the buttocks self-transported to Stroger Hospital and died, police said.
The other victims of both shootings were expected to recover.
Near the scene of the shooting in Austin, there were several empty fireworks boxes and a large amount of debris from fireworks that were set off in the area overnight.
"After a bunch of fireworks were going off for hours, all of a sudden we heard what appeared to be gunshots, what sounded like gunshots going off, rapid fire. It sounded like a magazine of rounds going off," said Austin resident Paul Tyson, who lives nearby.
Tyson said a music video shoot was taking place at the time of the second mass shooting, and at least 200 people were gathered outside "just rambling about and lighting off fireworks."
"Just uncontrolled crowds gathering, a lot of partying, drinking, all that kind of stuff, and it was okay. It was mostly fireworks, until it wasn't, and then it was gunshots," he said.
Both incidents come less than 24 hours after the deadly mass shooting in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood that left two women and an 8-year-old boy dead. Two other children were also critically hurt.
No one is in custody.
Investigations into both shootings remain ongoing.
It has been an extremely violent start to the July Fourth holiday weekend. Since 5 p.m. Wednesday, at least 10 people have been killed and 49 others have been wounded in shootings across Chicago.
Friday afternoon, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced additional safety measures to address the violence. That includes mobilizing officers whose days off were cancelled to respond to shootings.
The city will also activate an Emergency Services Assistance Center at Fosco Park on Tuesday to provide support services to community residents.
