Chicago police have successfully detained a suspect and recovered a firearm following a shooting incident that took place outside Wrigley Field on Thursday evening. The incident, which left a bystander injured, is believed to have involved a shootout between two gunmen, as captured by the Cubs’ state-of-the-art security cameras.
According to witnesses, the altercation occurred between two groups of individuals in their teens or early 20s at the corner of Waveland and Sheffield around 6:56 p.m. The confrontation escalated, leading to gunfire exchanged between two males. A 26-year-old man standing outside Murphy’s Bleachers was struck in the left arm by a bullet fired by a gunman on the north side of Waveland. Police discovered at least 15 shell casings near a parking lot on the same side of the street.
Following the incident, law enforcement officers swiftly responded by flooding nearby CTA stations and eventually apprehended a suspect at the Wilson Red Line station around 7:18 p.m. The authorities recovered a firearm and a backpack containing a sweatshirt matching the description provided by witnesses of the gunman’s attire. Additionally, five individuals accompanying the suspect were taken in for questioning.
The victim was promptly transported to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and is reported to be in good to fair condition. Wrigley Field is commended for its advanced security systems, with Chicago police sources praising the ballpark’s video surveillance network as one of the most superior in the city. The collaboration between CPD and the Cubs in accessing high-quality video footage for incidents in the neighborhood reflects the effectiveness of such partnerships.
This incident marks the first shooting of the year in Lakeview and the first in Wrigleyville since a double shooting in the 1000 block of West Addison in May 2024, where federal charges were filed against a suspect. Year-to-date statistics for people shot in Lakeview in recent years are as follows: 2024: 3, 2023: 0, 2022: 4, 2021: 0, 2020: 6, 2019: 0, 2018: 1, 2017: 1, 2016: 2.
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