Violence interrupter says large gathering on West Side got "out of hand" before mass shooting
Chicago police are still investigating a mass shooting that left multiple teens injured over the Fourth of July weekend.
Hundreds of people gathered on the 3800 block of West Maypole Avenue in the West Garfield Park neighborhood over the weekend. The mass gathering turned into a shooting in which seven teens were shot in two separate incidents.
One West Side community violence intervention group said they were there and said it got out of hand.
"I had a team of 12 people out there trying to do what we could do, but we were outnumbered. We was really outnumbered," said Fredrick Seaton
Seaton is a supervisor at the West Garfield Park office for the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago—a community violence intervention group. He says at least 300 people packed Maypole early Sunday morning, with the majority being teens, along with a few adults.
"We went out there and tried to just build a relationship, just talk to some of the youth and tell them to have a peaceful time. We know we weren't going to make them leave because a lot of them we didn't know," he said.
One neighbor shared video showing the chaotic scene from her home as the crowd flooded the block. Chicago police say six teens were shot during the large gathering. A seventh victim was shot minutes earlier.
"You can't control a large crowd. Not with twelve guys. Even Chicago police did they best. You got to give them credit for it," Seaton said.
The timing comes after CPD's top cop, Superintendent Larry Snelling, and the FBI's special agent-in-charge, Douglas Depodesta, both announced their departure from their roles. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Shunda Collins, vice president of development and communications with the Institute for Nonviolence Intervention, praised Snelling for his work.
Meanwhile, Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) says Sunday's mass shooting is a tragedy, going on to say, "We are exploring ways to hold the organizers and sponsors of large, unsanctioned events accountable when gatherings spiral out of control and place residents and attendees at risk."
Ervin also says everyone deserves to celebrate holidays and community events safely.
