CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Extra police presence is expected after a shooting near 31st Street Beach Friday night.
Officials said the shooting happened shortly before 9 p.m. A 14-year-old boy was shot in the leg and then transported to Comers Children Hospital in fair condition, according to police.
The shooting, though, was not the only incident reported at 31st Street Beach Friday night. A vehicle was also lit on fire near the 31st Street entrance to DuSable Lake Shore Drive, access to which a large Chicago police presence blocked off.
By roughly 9:15 p.m., hundreds of people were seen walking — and occasionally running — away from 31st Street Beach. Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) described the scene near the beach as “mayhem.”
No arrests have been made as Area One detectives are investigating the shooting.
This came after Chicago police responded to massive crowds of teenagers Saturday night at Millennium Park, which was just one day after a similar gathering took place at 31st Street Beach.
One witness, who asked not to be identified, told NBC News he saw a chaotic scene.
"It’s heartbreaking, kids fighting, chasing each other, some of them got guns," he said. "It's really heartbreaking when one of them actually gets hurt, and that’s unfortunate, happened last night."
Witnesses reported that hundreds of teenagers, potentially even thousands, gathered at the beach after seeing flyers posted on social media for a teen-age meetup. Cops were outnumbered.
"It was a lot of cops here," the witness added to NBC. "There were so many teenagers that showed up, and they tried to keep the peace and keep them under control."
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