- Credibility:
CHICAGO — One or more bullets that struck and injured two women during a White Sox game likely came from gunfire inside the ballpark, the city’s top cop said Monday.
Rumors continue to swirl about the mid-game incident as officials have said little about what led to two women being injured by gunfire around 7:30 p.m. Friday in the left field bleachers as the White Sox played the Oakland Athletics at Guaranteed Rate Field, 333 W. 35th St.
The game went out without interruption despite the apparent shooting, with some fans in attendance later taking to social media to say they didn’t even know there had been an incident.
The White Sox canceled a post-game Vanilla Ice concert with a message on the jumbotron telling fans saying they were having “technical issues.”
Since then, rumors have swirled about the origin of the gunfire, with some reports that shots could have been fired outside the ballpark before landing in the stadium seats.
But Supt. Fred Waller told the Chicago Tribune Monday that police have “almost completely dispelled” that theory.
Waller said it’s still an active investigation and has yet to provide a clear picture of what happened.
“Something from inside, it could’ve happened that way,” Waller told the Tribune. “We’re looking at every avenue, exploring every lead and everything that we can get.”
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoWaller, speaking to the Sun-Times Monday, also defended the decision by police to back off an initial call to stop the game.
After it became clear that someone had been shot, police determined there wasn’t an active threat, Waller told the Sun-Times. The game went on so as to not “create a panic,” Waller said.
In a statement Monday, a White Sox spokesperson said they have “not received an official update from CPD on the investigation.”
Sox senior spokesperson Scott Reifert said in another statement Monday police had arrived on the scene and “assessed the situation in consultation with our security officials.”
“[T]he game was allowed to finish as there was no immediate threat,” Reifert said. “CPD has complete authority within our facility if anything is deemed to put public safety at risk.”
The post-game concert was “not canceled for any security concern. It was canceled so CPD could go and investigate the area,” Reifert told reporters over the weekend.
A 42-year-old female victim was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center, where she is listed in fair condition, police said. A 26-year-old female victim refused medical attention.
On Saturday, the team published a security video from the incident, which has since circulated online.
In a statement Monday, Ald. Nicole Lee said she plans to meet with the team to discuss “protocols to ensure fans’ safety at future games.”
“I am in ongoing communication with both the Chicago Police Department and the White Sox organization, and it is my promise to our community and our city that we will get to the bottom of this,” Lee said.
In June, a reckless driver badly injured four people as they crossed 35th Street to enter the stadium on their way to the game. The incident led fans and witnesses to call for more safety precautions around the ballpark.
Watch our “On The Block” TV show on The U, CW26 and MeTV.
Listen to “It’s All Good: A Block Club Chicago Podcast”:
