At least 15 people shot, two critically, at Halloween party in Chicago

 

At least 15 people shot, two critically, at Halloween party in Chicago

 

Another weekend marked by gun violence in city after six women and nine men were injured in mass shooting

 

Nina Lakhani

@ninalakhani

Sun 29 Oct 2023 17.21 GMT

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/29/chicago-shooting-halloween-party

 

At least 15 people were shot in a mass shooting at a Halloween party in Chicago in the early hours of Sunday morning that left two partygoers critically injured, in another weekend marked by gun violence.

 

Six women aged between 26 and 32, and nine men aged between 26 and 52 were injured in the shooting, which according to one witness interviewed by local news media took place just after 1am when a fight broke out and the alleged shooter was denied re-entry into a party.

 

“He came back and put his arm through the door and started shooting,” said Andre Williams.

 

Initial police reports suggested that two people sustained critical injuries. A 26-year-old woman who sustained a gunshot wound to the left hip and right buttocks, and a 48-year old male who sustained a gunshot wound to the right hip, thigh and two gunshot wounds to the left thigh.

 

A male suspect was detained while trying to escape the scene on foot, according to the Chicago police department. The alleged shooter was carrying a handgun when apprehended close to the party in North Lawndale, a neighborhood in south-west Chicago, according to the police.

 

“Officers responding to a shots fired call in the area approached and observed an unknown male shooting into the location where a gathering was taking place. The offender fled on foot and was placed into custody by responding officers a short distance away. A handgun was recovered on his person and the offender was transported to the area for questioning by detectives,” Chicago police said in a statement.

 

No further details about the victims or the suspect are currently available. Chicago police said investigations were ongoing

 

As of Sunday morning, at least 26 people had been shot in Chicago including one fatally, as America’s third largest city continues to grapple with high levels of gun violence – a complex public health crisis driven by easy firearm access and poor gun control, as well as social and economic factors. In the early hours of Saturday, four people leaving a gathering were injured in a drive-by mass shooting, shortly after a man suffered fatal injuries in a separate shooting in the city, according to police reports.

 

Chicago’s firearm homicide rate is six times higher than New York City’s and three times higher than in Los Angeles.

 

Meanwhile in Florida, at least two people were killed and 18 hospitalized when a gun fight broke out during Halloween festivities in Tampa.