Early on Friday, multiple gunmen, at least one armed with a rifle, initiated gunfire along the bustling Division Street nightlife area, resulting in injuries to four individuals, as per initial reports gathered by CWBChicago.
Chicago police, including a significant presence of probationary officers, were already assigned to the vicinity when the shooting erupted at approximately 3:48 a.m. Officers reported witnessing the assailants firing from two vehicles before fleeing the scene at high speed.
Police had initially spotted the suspected vehiclesâ a gray Acura CL and a black SUV, suspected to be a Jeep Grand Cherokeeâ roughly 15 minutes prior to the shooting, around 3:31 a.m. An officer noted that these vehicles had been circling the neighborhood before the gunfire erupted.
As chaos unfolded, officers quickly communicated a âshots firedâ alert and indicated that there were victims down. Immediate first aid was performed, with tourniquets being applied to help stabilize the injured.
A police supervisor on the scene indicated that no officers discharged their weapons during the event, with only one officer reporting the act of aiming their firearm. It’s believed that the police were not the intended targets of the assault.
Approximately 25 shell casings were recovered near the intersection of Division and Dearborn Streets, including around 10 from a handgun and about 15 from a rifle.
The four injured individuals were reported to be in stable condition:
- A 45-year-old man was shot in the foot and transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital by officers in a squad car.
- A 24-year-old man, thought to be a bouncer from a nearby nightclub, drove himself to the same hospital with a gunshot wound to his forearm.
- A 22-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man were both taken by ambulance to Northwestern, each sustaining gunshot wounds in their legs.
Following the shooting, investigators tracked the fleeing gunmen south on Dearborn, with evidence pointing to their entry onto the expressway via the Ontario Street feeder ramp shortly thereafter.
This incident marks the second mass shooting reported this year on the Near North Side.
Previously, on July 2, gunmen had opened fire outside Artis Lounge at 311 West Chicago Avenue, coinciding with a rapperâs record release event. That incident is recognized as one of the most lethal mass shootings in Chicagoâs history, injuring eighteen people, four of whom died. To date, no arrests have been made, and Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to prosecution.
This year, the Near North Side has recorded 41 shooting incidents, a notable increase from 27 during the same time frame last year, compared to 40 in 2023 and 65 in 2022.
Original reporting youâll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
Tim Hecke is CWBChicago’s managing partner. His career began at KMOX, the legendary news radio station in St. Louis. He later worked at various stations in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City, eventually creating syndicated radio news and content services that reached all 100 of America’s largest radio markets. Tim assumed the role of managing partner at CWBChicago in 2019.
His email address is tim@cwbchicago.com
