Chicago Chaos: Gangland Shootings Claim 19 Victims In One Night

Chicago, IL – Though various instances of gun-related violence and crime have made headlines throughout the nation of late, many media outlets are seemingly oblivious of the so-called “tribal warfare” raging in the streets of Chicago. Last night and this morning, Chicago “gangs” engaged in a shooting spree that claimed 19 victims – over a dozen of them within a single 30-minute period.

The shootings occurred across the South and West sides of Chicago from Thursday evening through early Friday morning, according to the Chicago Tribune. A majority of the shooting occurred between 9:15pm and 9:45pm. Eight people, many of them teenagers, were shot at 79th Street and Essex Avenue at 9:30, and two men were wounded in the Ida B. Wells / Darrow Homes complex around 9:25. That same time, two men were shot in a drive-by in the 2900 block of West 39th Place in the Brighton Park neighborhood.

Roughly 15 minutes later, a 24-year-old man was shot in the leg and taken to Jackson Park Hospital from the 7200 block of South Jeffery Boulevard. He told police that he was talking on his phone, heard a single gunshot, and realized that he had been hit.

Another drive-by earlier Thursday evening resulted in four men being injured in the Little Village neighborhood about 5:20pm.

Then, after midnight, a 17-year-old was shot in the back and taken to the hospital in serious condition after another drive-by. Another 17-year-old was shot around 1:30, and is currently in good condition at Mount Sinai Hospital. He said that he was approached by a man on foot who started shooting at him.

Police consider the South Shore neighborhood dangerous, calling it “Terror Town,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The area is largely controlled by the Black P Stones gang, and police think that the shootings were the result of a clash between the Black P Stones and the Gangster Disciples, or possibly between warring factions of the Black P Stones gang.

The total: at least 19 people were shot across the city since 5pm Thursday. Police are still searching for the shooters, though they have not reported any fatalities.

Chicago has become something of a crime powder-keg lately, and so far, authorities haven’t been able to slow the violence from spreading. Besides gang warfare and drive-by shootings, large groups of teenagers have turned out to rob and trash shops throughout the summer, with little to no visible reason or motive. Some media outlets are calling them “flash mob robberies.”

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