Rash of shootings in Chicago's Austin neighborhood may have stemmed from party, sources say
Two people are dead, and at least seven others were injured, in a series of three different shootings in the South Austin neighborhood on Chicago's West Side overnight Saturday into Sunday.
Social media posts showed a huge party in the area as police arrived. Police have not said if the shootings are all connected, but CBS News Chicago has learned they may have stemmed from the party.
Some social media posters showed hundreds of people in the streets in South Austin overnight, calling it a Club Jroy event.
Another post said the event went on for 10 blocks. Some videos also show the start of some of the violence.
Social media video documented the shooting started around midnight on Lamon Avenue near West End Avenue — though a police incident report placed the first shooting at 1:40 a.m.
In that incident, Chicago police said officers responded to a person shot and found the victim, a 20-year-old woman, with multiple gunshot wounds to her arms. She was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where she was listed in good condition.
Just before 3 a.m., a mass shooting transpired about a block away, around West End and La Crosse avenues. A woman was killed and five others were wounded:
- A 22-year-old woman was shot in the back and was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
- A 29-year-old woman was hit in the right elbow and was taken to Rush University Medical Center in good condition.
- A 29-year-old man was hit in the right leg and taken to Loretto Hospital in critical condition.
- An 18-year-old man was shot in the chest and left arm and was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County in critical condition.
- An 18-year-old man was grazed on the left hand. He was treated and released on the scene.
- A 17-year-old boy was hit in the left thigh and was taken to Mt. Sinai in critical condition.
At 4:37 a.m., another shooting transpired — this one on Maypole Avenue near Lavergne Avenue. Two 18-year-old men were approached by two others, who fired guns in the directions of the teens as a fight ensued.
One of the 18-year-olds, identified as Kaleb Williams, was hit twice in the back and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The other 18-year-old was hit in the arm and was taken to Mt. Sinai, initially listed in good condition.
The numbers added up quickly.
A police source told CBS News Chicago that police officers were so outnumbered, they had to call in units from near O'Hare International Airport, the Northwest Side, and downtown.
CBS News Chicago tried to approach Mayor Brandon Johnson at a public event Sunday, asking the mayor to talk to us about the shootings and police staffing, but he would not stop for comment.
Meanwhile, the organizers who promoted the event on social media acknowledged in a video clip that he had thought about canceling.
CBS News Chicago tried reaching the promoter through social media platforms, but have not heard back.