One dead in teen takeover of downtown Chicago; video shows hundreds fill the streets
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It was a violent night in Chicago's South Loop as a large group flooded the area near Roosevelt and Canal. Two teenagers were shot--one fatally.
The homicide investigation is now underway after police found the teens shot.
The operator of a neighboring business says the shooting has left his employees shaken up.
"Enough is enough," said Peter Letsos, White Palace Grill's director of operations. "We need to do something about it, and somebody needs to do something about it fast."
Letsos said he is fed up with the teen takeovers in the South Loop that have happened repeatedly. Letsos said they took swift action Saturday night.
"We have security guards here every night," he said. "We locked the doors for a couple of hours and kept everybody out. There's only so much we could do."
A heavy police presence could be seen in the area around 8 p.m. after the large group of young people gathered.
"From the video footage that I've seen, it looked like hundreds of teenagers and young adults were tearing up the streets.
CBS 2 cameras were rolling as hundreds of teens filled the streets. Soon after, it turned violent. At one point, three teens could be seen in handcuffs.
Part of the group was gathered in the parking lot of BMO Harris Bank when at least one person fired shots.
Police say a 17-year-old was shot in the chest and neck. He was transported to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He has been identified as Jeremy Smith.
A 15-year-old boy was also transported to Stroger and was listed in fair condition Saturday evening. He was shot in the leg.
The shooting happened right across the street from White Palace Grill.
"We worry about the safety of the employees, number one, safety of our customers and, hopefully, the safety of the people of Chicago," said Letsos.
Saturday's gathering was the first major "large group" incident in the downtown area since July 30, when hundreds of young people gathered in the same area and looted stores.
Mayor Brandon Johnson criticized a reporter for calling the incident "mob action."
"We have to be very careful when we use language to describe certain behavior," Johnson said. "There's history in this city. I mean, to refer to children as like baby Al Capone is not appropriate."
Detectives say they recovered a gun at the scene. It's unclear if anyone else was injured or if more suspects have been identified.
CBS 2 has reached out to the mayor's office about the shooting but had not heard back Sunday evening.
