Ald. Brian Hopkins said a large group of teenagers was being kicked out of the AMC on Illinois Street on Sunday evening when one pulled a gun from his backpack and fired five to six rounds of bullets.
CHICAGO (WLS) — A woman visiting Chicago ended up in the hospital after being shot while walking with her son downtown on Sunday evening.
The 46-year-old woman, who was visiting the city from Connecticut, had just finished dinner with her 11-year-old son when a stray bullet hit her arm near Illinois and Columbus in the Streeterville neighborhood just after 8 p.m.
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The incident has escalated concerns of about large teen gatherings happening outside a nearby AMC movie theater.
“What would have prevented this tragedy from happening is, if 14-year-olds don’t have guns in their backpack. How about that?” said 2nd Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins.
Hopkins said a large group of teenagers was being kicked out of the AMC on Illinois Street on Sunday evening when one pulled a gun from his backpack and fired five to six rounds of bullets.
“It just breaks my heart to think that one of our guests here in town had an experience like that. It should just never happen. It shouldn’t happen to a resident; it shouldn’t happen to a tourist,” Hopkins said. “It should just never happen, and outrage is an appropriate response to it.”
According to a police report obtained by the ABC7 I-Team, a woman and her son were waiting on a light change when she was shot.
The shooting is raising concerns about safety in the neighborhood.
“I don’t want to run and hide. I I moved downtown from the suburbs to enjoy the city. Problem with anybody coming to the city to enjoy everything that the city has to offer, but don’t create chaos and havoc down here,” said Streeterville Organization of Active Residents member Stephanie Keys.
Police data shows shootings have not been rampant in the area, with eight total shootings in the last 12 months, but Keys says teen gatherings rise with the warmer weather.
“Last year, it was uncomfortable just trying to walk to restaurants because the kids were everywhere. They did finally calm it down some. But to see this happening, and it’s what the 10th of March,” Keys said.
Streeterville residents Tony and Jessica Mikhalets said they live near the theater and heard the gunshots. They say teen gatherings have been common there.
“This happened last summer too, and I was just, like, on the money, like, every weekend, Saturday, Sunday, for some reason. I mean, they started earlier this year,” Tony said. “We have a rule, like, on weekends, we don’t, we don’t walk here. We’ll just, like, if we go, we’ll go to West Loop or whatever with Uber, and then Uber home.”
“There were like, hundreds of teens here, just running around and being chaotic. And, you know, it’s just unfortunate, because this is supposed to be a quiet residential area,” Jessica said.
While there is currently a 10 p.m. curfew in Streeterville for those 18 and under, the incident happened around 8 p.m. over the weekend. It has forced some residents to avoid walking that block altogether.
“Absolutely pay attention it. Maybe walk on the other side of the street, if necessary, try to pick which block I’m going down. Yeah, but certainly have to pay attention to it,” said Streeterville resident George Deljevic.
Police say there have been no arrests in the shooting. Hopkins said the victim has since been released from the hospital, and there is an escalated police presence in the area. He also said he has proposed legislation to move the 10 p.m. curfew up to 9 p.m.
“We need to mobilize the city and make sure this doesn’t happen again, that we don’t have another summer like we’ve had in years past,” Hopkins said.
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Ald. Brian Hopkins said a large group of teenagers was being kicked out of the AMC on Illinois Street on Sunday evening when one pulled a gun from his backpack and fired five to six rounds of bullets.