Crowded CTA bus struck by gunfire in Bronzeville; 1 woman injured
A crowded CTA bus was struck by bullets on Friday afternoon in the Bronzeville neighborhood, leaving one passenger injured.
Police said, around 3:50 p.m., someone fired shots near the intersection of King Drive and Pershing Road, striking a 37-year-old woman on a nearby CTA bus.
Keith Hill, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, which represents CTA bus drivers, said the bus was driving on its route down King Drive when it appeared to drive into crossfire. Several shots came toward the bus and at least two bullets went through the bus.
Video from a nearby home surveillance camera shows people outside the bus running for cover as the gunshots rang out.
Along with the driver, the union president estimated 40 to 60 people were on the bus at the time. Most of them were students from a nearby high school, sources told CBS News Chicago.
Approximately 15 shots were fired in total. The gunfire sent people running for cover. At least one bullet also struck a nearby home, close to its doorbell camera.
Chicago police said a 37-year-old woman was struck in the leg and taken to University of Chicago Medical Center, initially reported in good condition.
Hill said the driver and passengers are very shaken up by the incident.
Surveillance video shows a white CTA security vehicle on patrol alongside the bus on King Drive. That vehicle drove off after the shots were fired.
Eyewitness Eric Lewis said he was driving through the intersection when he saw one of possibly two shooters open fire from across the street. He said he tried to chase one of the suspects.
"I made a U-turn in the middle of the street, and the kids just running back this way, but I seen a young man with a gun in his hand, and I was trying to chase him. Then he cut through the alley, cut through the gangway, cut through this alley, and then ran diagonally," Lewis said.
Andre Anthony, who owns a nearby barbershop, stepped outside just as people started taking cover. He said the shooting is "very concerning."
"The fact that it's happening on buses, the fact that it is happening as it is, it's another layer that's being added to what's happening. And so we need to have real solutions," he said.
It was unclear who the shooter or shooters were targeting.
Investigators were checking for surveillance video footage of the shooting from nearby homes and businesses.