WASHINGTON PARK — Nine people were shot Tuesday night in Washington Park, with two people dying, police said.
At 7:46 p.m., two groups of people who were in the park got into a fight and someone fired shots, Deputy Chief Fred Melean said at a news conference. It was not immediately clear how many shooters were involved or where the shooting occurred in the large park, 5531 S. King Drive.
A 43-year-old man was hit in the back of his head and taken to University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said. A 20-year-old man was hit multiple times throughout his body and taken to the same hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The other victims were all in good condition, with all of them at University of Chicago Medical Center or Insight Hospital.
The other victims:
- A 30-year-old man was shot in his left shin.
- A 39-year-old man was shot in his right ankle.
- A 27-year-old woman was shot in her upper left thigh.
- A 22-year-old man was hit twice in his left elbow.
- A 19-year-old man was shot in his upper right shoulder.
- A 33-year-old woman’s upper right arm was grazed by a bullet.
- A 46-year-old man’s right calf was graved by a bullet.
The shooting was not connected to the UniverSoul Circus, which is hosting performances in Washington Park throughout the month, Melean said. The circus was open Tuesday, but it closed about 7 p.m., 45 minutes before the shooting, Ahern said.
“… This has nothing to do with the circus,” Melean said. “When the circus is operating, they have more security there, we have staff that patrol the park. So the circus is perfectly safe to come to.”
Sun-Times photojournalist Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere tweeted that responding officers were investigating an area in the stands of the park’s baseball diamond. The park is near the University of Chicago medical center.
No other details were immediately available.