No one in custody a day after 16-year-old shot and killed at Grant Park skate park
The family of a 16-year-old boy shot and killed at the Grant Park skate park in the South Loop identified him Thursday as Dorian Smith.
Smith's father said the family is distraught and that his son spent much of his time at the skate park. Skaters there knew him as Avery. Several said Thursday they were too distraught to talk on camera about his death.
Chicago police said the teen was found with a gunshot wound to the neck shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Grant Park skate park in the 1100 block of South Michigan Avenue.
The teen was taken to Northwestern Hospital in serious condition and later died.
Audio from police radio indicates a call first came in about shots fired, with the caller reporting they heard the shots and then saw "kids running from the park." Officers were directed to Roosevelt Road and Columbus Drive and told to use caution.
Video taken by bystanders appears to show police and first responders performing chest compressions on the victim at the scene, with a bike laying on the ground nearby. Chicago police also were seen on video investigating the train yard and stops nearby.
The Grant Park skate park is a popular place for young people to hang out and skate.
The circumstances that led to the shooting were not immediately clear and police have not yet released a more detailed timeline of events.
No one is currently in custody. An investigation by Area Three detectives is ongoing.
Ald. Lamont Robinson, who represents the 4th Ward where Grant Park is located, said in a statement the death is "heartbreaking."
"There are no adequate words for a family having to bury a 16-year-old, someone who should have his whole life ahead of him, now taken by gun violence," Robinson wrote. "My deepest condolences go to this young man's family, his friends, and everyone who knew and loved him."
Robinson, who is vice chair of the Police and Fire Committee, condemned the violence in his statement and demanded the shooter be held accountable.
"We will continue working with CPD, the Park District, and our community partners to make sure our public spaces are safe, and to do everything we can to prevent another family from experiencing this kind of heartbreak," he wrote.
CBS News Chicago reached out to the Chicago Park District after the shooting. They sent a statement, reading, "At the Chicago Park District, the safety and well-being of our community members and visitors is our absolute highest priority. The Chicago Police Department is leading the investigation into this matter, with support from Chicago Park District Public Safety."
They directed all further inquiries to CPD.
Wednesday's shooting is the second killing in Grant Park since June. A 27-year-old bicyclist, Malik Jones, was shot and killed in the 300 block of East Jackson Drive early on June 16, according to prior CBS News Chicago reporting. Eliel Argudo-Tenorio, 18, of Oak Park, was charged with first-degree murder in that shooting. Prosecutors said Jones and Argudo-Tenorio did not know each other, and as of his June 23 court appearance, Argudo-Tenorio had been ordered held until trial.
The skate park itself was the site of a triple stabbing in June of last year. Police said three men were fighting when one pulled out a sharp object and stabbed the other two, and the two victims then disarmed him and stabbed him several times.
Chicago police public safety data for the district through Sept. 6 shows overall crime is down this year. Before Wednesday night's shooting, the department's count listed three murders in the district this year, compared with six at the same point last year.
