5 injured as gunbattle rolls through West Loop on Wednesday afternoon: Crime scene is “almost a mile, two miles long,” cop says



Five people were shot as a rolling gun battle tore through the West Loop neighborhood early this evening, according to preliminary reports from the scene. The injured include a bicyclist, a ride-share passenger, and a man who may have been inside one of the gunman’s vehicles.

“Man, this scene is almost a mile, two miles long,” one evidence technician assigned to document the shooting told a dispatcher.

At least one victim was shot near the 600 block of West Kinzie, close to the Blommer Chocolate Factory, where a woman was shot last week.


Witnesses reported seeing the occupants of two or three SUVs shooting at each other as the cars drove through the West Loop area around 4:55 p.m. According to officers, the gunbattle left shell casings littering streets from Jefferson and Lake to Desplaines and Kinzie and as far north as Milwaukee and Chicago.

“It was wild,” one witness said. “Two cars shooting at each other, fully automatic. They continued south down Desplaines. Lots of people walking home. One girl was injured in the dog park, not shot but hurt diving to the ground.”

Other witnesses also reported hearing automatic gunfire.

“Just witnessed a car chase shoot out on Desplaines and Jefferson,” another said in a social media message to CWBChicago. “Auto. At least 50 rounds. I called 911.”

According to preliminary information, police found three men and a woman shot near the 600 block of West Kinzie. None of them appear to be the intended targets of the gunmen.
https://cwbchicago.com/2021/09/5-inj...-cop-says.html