13 Wounded As Gunmen Start 'Shooting Randomly' At Memorial Party In Englewood; 'An Incredible Act Of Cowardice'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Another mass shooting in Chicago made national headlines Sunday – this time with 13 people being wounded during a memorial party in Englewood.
Police have made the first arrest in connection to the shooting. Meanwhile, as CBS 2's Jeremy Ross reported, Mayor Lori Lightfoot was furious about the incident.
"It's a terrible tragedy, and frankly an incredible act of cowardice. People were gathered in commemoration of the anniversary of the birth of someone who was killed earlier this year," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said outside the University of Chicago Medical Center, where several victims were being treated Sunday morning.
Chicago Police Chief of Patrol Fred Waller said the shooting happened at a house party in honor of the life of a man who was slain in April. Dozens of officers were called to the scene near 57th and May streets around 12:30 a.m.
"The whole house is going to be a crime scene. The whole house," an officer was heard saying over police radio. "There's blood everywhere."
After a quarrel at the party, someone started shooting inside the house, Waller said. As people were fleeing the house, at least one of those people started shooting at others who were running outside.
"It looks like they were just shooting randomly at people as they exited the party," Waller said.
One other person who left the house also started shooting at a vehicle as it was driving by the house.
"People were screaming and running," said Terence Daniely, who was awoken by the gunfire. "It seemed like there was about 100 officers running to the scene. So it seemed like it was close."
The sounds of sirens accompanied first responders helping victims from stretchers to ambulances over and over again.
Police said two people were critically wounded, and two were seriously wounded. The other injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Late Sunday, a man was charged with unlawful use of a weapon after being apprehended at the site of the shooting. Marciano White, 37, of the 9300 block of South Longwood Drive, was charged with the felony count.
Police said they saw White quickly leaving the site with a bag against his body. As officers tried to approach White, he tried to escape, police said.
Further investigation determined that White had a gun, and he was arrested. He was not charged in the shooting itself Sunday night. Police late Sunday were in the process of determining White's role in the case.
White has a history of drug and battery charges.
Family members said the party was a memorial for 22-year-old Lonell Irvin, who was shot and killed on April 26 near State Street and Ida B. Wells Drive. Police said Irvin tried to carjack a 41-year-old man at gunpoint. The driver, a concealed carry license holder, pulled out his own gun and shot Irvin in the head.
Sunday would have been Irvin's 23rd birthday.
RELATED: Englewood Residents Look To Faith, Call For Unity After 13 Are Shot At Memorial Party
Waller said it was unclear how many people were shooting inside the house, but said police surveillance cameras recorded two people firing shots outside the home.
"So we had three different scenes all within a close proximity, but where shell casings were found at three different locations; and looking at the POD video, you can see pretty clearly how three different incidents of someone firing a weapon in three different locations," Waller said.
Lightfoot said she is asking anyone who was at the party to "step up and let their faith overcome their fear" and tell police what they know about the shooting.
"People in that house know what happened, and we have urged them to overcome their fears, and come forward with information so that the police can do their job in tracking down the people responsible for this terrible act of cowardice," she said. "Some people may not know exactly what happened, but somebody inside that room knows exactly who the shooters were, and we need them to step forward and provide that information."
Police said 13 people were wounded in the shooting. The youngest victim was 16 years old, the oldest was 48.
- A 40-year-old man was shot in the chest, and was in critical condition at University of Chicago Medical Center;
- A 21-year-old man was shot in the back, and was in critical condition at St. Bernard Hospital;
- A 16-year-old boy was shot in the back, and was in serious condition at Stroger Hospital of Cook County;
- A 20-year-old man was shot in the left thigh, and was stabilized at University of Chicago Medical Center;
- A 38-year-old woman was shot in the chest, and was stabilized at University of Chicago Medical Center;
- A 27-year-old woman was shot in both legs, and was stabilized at University of Chicago Medical Center;
- A 29-year-old woman was shot in the leg, and was stabilized at University of Chicago Medical Center;
- A 48-year-old man was shot in the right foot, and was in good condition at Stroger Hospital;
- A 25-year-old man was shot in the buttocks and upper right thigh, and was in good condition at St. Bernard Hospital;
- A 27-year-old man was shot in the right leg, and was in good condition at University of Chicago Medical Center;
- A 20-year-old man was shot in the chest and armpit, and was in good condition at Stroger Hospital;
- A 20-year-old man was shot in the left foot, and was in good condition at St. Bernard Hospital;
- A female, whose age isn't known, suffered a graze wound to her chest, and walked away after refusing medical attention from paramedics.
Lightfoot visited some of the victims at the hospital Sunday morning. She said she also would be visiting the Englewood community later in the day, and meeting with aldermen from the area.
"This is a horrible tragedy, and the people who have been most personally affected by it are traumatized by the experience, and we're going to make sure that we provide them with support and resources," Lightfoot said.
Police initially said one of the people who was wounded was also considered a person of interest in the case, but that man was no longer considered a person of interest.
Lightfoot said the Police Department would use "every resource possible" to find out who the shooters are and bring them to justice.
"We're coming for you. We're not going to tolerate this. We're going to use every resource that we can to track down the people that were responsible for it," she said.
Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th) said she received several phone calls from the block where the shooting happened around 12:30 a.m. She said there were at least 20 police cars at the scene already when she arrived a short time later.
"This is a wonderful block. From my understanding, this was in a vacant unit upstairs, this incident," she said. "I'm actually going to go back to the block to find out some information from the residents that live on that block."
Coleman said she was "very saddened, very disappointed that our children, this is their welcoming into not only the Christmas holiday, but to their Christmas break."
More charges could be coming in the hours and days ahead, police said.
CBS 2's Vi Nguyen contributed to this report.
