CHICAGO (WGN) — Tragedy struck downtown Chicago late Friday night as a 14-year-old boy lost his life and eight others sustained injuries in two separate shootings occurring within an hour of each other in the Loop. These incidents unfolded amidst large crowds drawn to the city center for the launch of holiday festivities.
In response, Chicago police have arrested 18 individuals connected to the shootings. However, authorities have yet to confirm if any of those detained are suspected shooters in either case.
Investigators have not yet determined if the two shootings are linked.
The violent events took place on a night bustling with holiday cheer as the city celebrated its annual Christmas tree lighting at Millennium Park and the opening of the Christkindlmarket, drawing thousands to the area.
Meanwhile, Metra service has resumed following a collision between a train and a car in the northern suburbs.
Fatal shooting victim ID’d
Police say the deadly shooting, the second of Friday night’s two shooting incidents in the Loop, unfolded just after 10:30 p.m. in the 100 block of South Dearborn Street, near Federal Plaza.
Officers were first called to the scene following a report of one person shot, according to police, but arriving officers found two men who had been shot.
Police say the first victim, a 14-year-old boy, was shot multiple times in the body. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has since identified him as Armani Floyd.
The second victim, an 18-year-old man, was shot once in the leg and hospitalized in serious condition.
7 shot in first incident
Less than an hour earlier, just before 10 p.m. Friday, seven teens were injured in a hail of gunfire in the 100 block of North State Street, near the Chicago Theater.
All were taken to area hospitals, six in good condition and one in fair condition, according to police.
That shooting happened during a so-called “teen takeover” that had been advertised on social media. CPD had been keeping track of social media for several days, and Chicago Public Schools also alerted staffers to urge kids not to participate in the “teen takeover.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke on the shooting Saturday morning. His comments can be viewed in the video player below.
“Our young people have to understand that they should not attend these unauthorized events that have been advertised on social media,” Johnson said. “I’m the first person to recognize that we have more work to do in this city to provide safe spaces for our young people.
“But these types of violent gatherings can never be an alternative, nor can they be normalized.”
Friday night’s shootings in the Loop are renewing calls for changes to the city’s curfew policies. In the spring, the City Council passed a “snap” curfew that would’ve allowed the police superintendent to impose a curfew with just 30 minutes of notice to break up large gatherings of young people.
But the mayor vetoed the measure, and a motion by some alders to override the veto failed. On Friday night, 700 additional CPD officers were on patrol.
“Clearly, what we put in place did not do enough to prevent what we were concerned about from actually manifesting,” Johnson said. “We have too many guns and too many young people who don’t value their own lives or the lives of others.
“And when we have a setback like this, it just reminds us of the long road we have to build the city that we all want to live in.”
The arrests that have been made so far in the incidents are for battery, disorderly conduct and weapons violations, with five guns recovered. Cook County Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for information that helps find the shooter or shooters in the two incidents.
