6 wounded after gunman opens fire on large gathering in Gresham

CHICAGO - Six people were wounded — including a 17-year-old boy — in a shooting Wednesday night at a parking lot in Gresham on the South Side.

At least one gunman stepped out of a dark-colored vehicle at 11:30 p.m. and opened fire on a “large gathering” in the 8500 block of South Parnell Avenue, Chicago police said.

Six gunshot victims were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center. Four of them were in serious condition or worse.

A 29-year-old man was shot in the neck and back and listed in critical condition, police said. Another man, 37, was struck in the head and also listed as critical.

Two other men, 21 and 29, were shot in the back and leg, respectively, and were listed in serious condition, police said. A 17-year-old boy grazed in the head was in fair condition.

Police have not announced an arrest.

The wounded were among 21 people shot Wednesday in citywide gun violence.

About a month ago, 15 people were wounded in a shooting outside a funeral home in the same neighborhood. Days earlier, two young boys were among three people shot in Gresham as well.

The 6th police district, which includes Gresham, has seen a 38% increase in shootings through Aug. 16 this year, compared to the same time in 2019, according to official police statistics.

The district has recorded 52 murders so far in 2020, a 73% jump from last year, when the district had 30.

On Wednesday, police officials asked for the public’s help in finding the person who shot the 12-year-old son of a Chicago firefighter in a park in Woodlawn over the weekend.