Chicago mayor condemns deadly teen gathering; suspect released
CHICAGO - A 14-year-old identified by witnesses as the gunman in a shooting during a teen gathering Saturday in Chicago has been released without charges.
At least eight other teens and one adult are facing charges after violence erupted near Southgate Market shopping mall in the South Loop around 7:45 p.m. Saturday.
During the chaos, two teens were shot. Jeremy L. Smith, 17, died at Stroger Hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest. A 15-year-old who was also taken to Stroger was listed in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the leg.
Chicago police say close to 500 teenagers gathered at Roosevelt Road and Canal Street after a social media post.
Several teens charged after deadly shooting near Southgate mall
A large teen gathering near the Southgate Market shopping mall in South Loop ended in a shooting.
Those arrested and charged are between the ages of 14 and 18 years old. They are all charged with disorderly conduct, assault and reckless conduct.
Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke out Monday about the teen gathering.
"As far as this particular gathering is concerned, we had law enforcement present, we had crisis interventionist specialists that were there unseen, and even with those efforts, violence still took place. So what we're doing is we're of course making sure that we're offering up support for victims of violence, but we're going to continue our efforts, in fact double down on our efforts to make sure that we cut these occurrences off."
Police chased the 14-year-old and arrested him shortly after the shooting. He has been released without charges.
Chicago police told FOX 32 there is no one else in custody as the investigation continues.