8 wounded on party bus when gunmen from 3 cars open fire in Lincoln Park
CHICAGO - A mass shooting is unexpected in Lincoln Park, however, it became a reality Wednesday night.
A party bus was parked at a 24-hour gas station just before midnight.
Passengers got out of the bus to buy snacks when they were fired on. Eight people were shot.
It was the third mass shooting of the day and occurred just hours after two attacks on the West Side wounded a total of 10 people, including a 15-year-old boy who died.
Initially, one person was listed in critical condition, five were in serious and two were listed in good condition.
The convenience store and the parking area were full of customers who had gotten off the party bus.
They said two dark colored Jeep Grand Cherokees drove up along with another car. The shots came from one of the vehicles, and then, there was chaos.
Six men and two women were shot. The victims range in age from 21 to 52.
A 24-year-old man was shot in the arm and a 26-year-old woman was shot in the leg, police said. They were both taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where the man was in fair condition and the woman was in serious condition.
A 23-year-old man was struck in the groin and was also taken to Northwestern in serious condition, police said. Two men, 42 and 52, were struck in the leg and taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital, where they were in fair condition.
A 27-year-old man was struck in the chest and later dropped off at Northwestern in critical condition, police said. A 29-year-old man was struck in the arm and went to Rush University Medical Center, then transferred to Stroger Hospital in fair condition.
A 26-year-old woman was shot in the hand and drove to Jackson Park Hospital where she was in good condition, police said.
Second Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins viewed the gas station’s security camera video and said that it indicated the party bus was followed and targeted. But he points out a bystander who was pumping gas was also shot and wounded.
Hopkins says there was an unarmed security officer on the bus and an armed driver. The driver was unable to use his weapon. Both suffered gunshot wounds.
Hopkins is now arguing that it’s time to crackdown even more on party buses.
"I’m working on an ordinance right now," he said Thursday afternoon. "They would have to stop driving people around at 10 o’clock."
Hopkins said the 10 p.m. curfew makes sense because "a lot of the trouble we’ve had on party buses has occurred around midnight. This incident was like five minutes to midnight. It just seems to be a recipe for disaster when you have 36 people, lots if alcohol, potentially some narcotics as well. And as the hours go by, the likelihood of trouble increases. "
Hopkins acknowledged the City Council has imposed countless crackdowns over the years aimed at preventing party bus rides from turning violent.
That includes requiring party buses that carry at least 15 people drinking on board or making multiple bar stops to install security cameras or hire more security personnel.
Area resident Chengappa Kodira was at his desk in his third floor apartment across the street.
He heard the gunshots and saw the commotion. Even though he recently moved to Chicago, he says this incident does not make him question his decision to move to Lincoln Park.
No one was in custody and police released no description of the attackers.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.