Austin mass shooting: neighbors say 911 calls about large gathering unanswered before gunfire
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Neighbors in the Austin neighborhood said their calls to 911 to break up a large gathering went largely unanswered before a mass shooting left a 25-year-old woman dead and six other people wounded early Sunday.
Most people who live on the 4800 block of West Iowa Street are longtime homeowners on the block. So when they saw a large crowd taking over the street Saturday night into early Sunday, they called 911 repeatedly for help, but not much was done to break up the gathering.
Surveillance video shows the moments an argument led to gunshots on Iowa Street near Cicero Avenue.
Police said, around 1 a.m. Sunday, a group was gathered on the block, when the argument broke out and someone started shooting.
On surveillance video, the smoke is visible from the shooter's gun before he runs away.
Seven people were shot. Terry'a Adams, 25, was shot multiple times, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Six other people, ranging in age from 17 to 29, were wounded, and ranged from good to critical condition.
"That shooting shouldn't had to happen. That girl should not be dead," longtime Austin resident Larell Steele said.
Steele said the normally quiet block was taken over by cars. and what she estimates to be more than 100 people.
"I mean, they had wall-to-wall cars," she said.
Neighbors said they are angry, because they called 911 before the shooting, but little was done to disperse the crowd.
"Then, when I heard those shots, I really couldn't believe it," Steele said.
Police said the large crowd was gathered to celebrate the life of a man killed in a car crash four years ago.
Steele called police after she heard the shots.
"When we called them the first time, they should have came, and made those kids go home," Steele said. "That's what they should have told them: 'Go home. Break it up.' I mean, can't they tell them that?"
Interim CPD Supt. Fred Waller admitted on Monday this was a "challenging weekend" when it came to getting ahead of the gun violence. He said monitoring large gatherings like the one that took place on Iowa Street is the hardest part.
"So there's a balance to it going in making sure everyone is safe," Waller said.
CBS 2's Jermont Terry asked Waller in light of the shooting, was he discouraging such gatherings.
"Not discouraging it because its summer time," Waller said.
He added CPD needs to continue to have a presence where large gatherings take place.
"There are so many going on from block to block, we have to monitor that and we have to do a better job," he said.
Also on Monday, CPD welcomed 261 new recruits. They were sworn in and ready to hit the streets in time for summer.
"We can always use more man power, but this point, I'm not going to cry about it because it is what it is," Waller said.
