Shooting inside Chicago’s Washington Park during a baseball game leaves at least one person dead and seven hospitalized – as Windy City reels from violent crime wave
- One person was killed and at least seven people were wounded during a shooting at a baseball game in a Chicago park on Tuesday night
- The gunfire erupted around 8pm local time
- It’s not known if police have a suspect in custody
Multiple people were shot in Chicago’s Washington Park during a baseball game on Tuesday night around 8 pm, police said.
Chicago PD spokesman Tom Ahern told the media that one person was killed and at least seven people were wounded.
It is not known if a perpetrator is in custody.
Three of the shooting victims are in serious to critical condition while another was in fair condition, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Live footage from the scene showed police patrolling around a baseball field apparently looking for shell casings within in the park. The video also showed the tent from the Universoul Circus which comes to the park each fall.
At least four people were shot in Chicago’s Washington Park during a baseball game on Tuesday night around 8 pm
Live video from the scene showed a person in handcuffs
Washington Park is a 372 acre recreation area on the city’s South Side between Cottage Grove Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive
Washington Park is a 372 acre recreation area on the city’s South Side between Cottage Grove Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive.
It comes amid a concern over a rise in crime in Chicago generally, with three law enforcement officers being shot in just one week in June.
Overall crime in Chicago has surged since last year by 35 percent despite shooting incidents lowering by 16 percent.
There were 952 shootings reported in the same period this year, compared to 1,135 in 2021. Last year was the most violent year in the Windy City in a quarter century.
Reports of robberies, criminal sexual assault and theft related crimes have all gone up, while murders reported have decreased.
State Rep. Kam Buckner, who is running to be the city’s next mayor, tweeted about Tuesday’s shooting saying: ‘The tragic news of the mass shooting in Washington Park is horrifying. Praying for these families and our entire city. We can’t continue on like this.’
While a fellow candidate for mayor in the city, Ja’Mal Green, tweeted: ‘We need real leadership NOW, we cannot keep waiting for it. This is RIDICULOUS! My prayers for everyone involved.’