Three Shot At Peace Rally, Picnic On North Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gunfire erupted early Saturday evening at a peace event and picnic in Seward Park on the Near North Side. Three people were injured.
The shooting happened in the 300 block of West Division around 6 p.m. Community organizers had been holding an event at the park since around 7 a.m. with games for children and families.
A male victim, 54, sustained a gun shot wound to the upper right leg. Another male victim, 43, sustained a gun shot wound to the lower left leg and upper right arm.
The third male victim, 28, sustained a gun shot wound to the back. He is in critical condition and the other two are in stable condition.
"No one is safe from this kind of madness," said one of the event organizers, Marvin Edwards. "They were standing toe to toe, shooting each other."
"It was a peace cookout," said Edwards, the kind of event intended to prevent the type of violence that occurred there. The anti-gang violence cookout drew hundreds of people.
Police say one to three male offenders, 15-20 years old, began firing gun shots in the direction of the victims while they stood in a group.
The group was not part of the event and some appeared to have been drinking when they got into an argument, witnesses told CBS 2's Jeremy Ross. The shooting forced nearby businesses, including a Jewel Osco, to lock their doors for a short time.
The group fled on foot from the scene and nobody is in custody. Area Central Detectives are investigating.
