CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- At least 15 people were shot, at least two fatally, after gunfire broke out at a Park Manor business where a party was being held early Sunday, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
A fight broke out between several people attending the party at about 4:40 a.m. in the 6700 block of South South Chicago Avenue when gunfire erupted, Chicago police said.
Fifteen people were struck, ranging in age from 20 to 44 years old, according to police.
Two people were pronounced dead, fire department spokesman Larry Merritt said.
They were identified as Rayneesha Dotson, 30, and Lionel Darling, 39, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Both were pronounced dead at the scene at 4:55 a.m.
Two people were critically wounded in the shooting, and three more were in serious condition, police said. The rest of the wounded victims were listed in good condition.
A photo of the scene shared by the fire department showed balloons and a shoe strewn outside the South Side Think Tank, at 6798 S. South Chicago Ave.
Officers placed at least 10 evidence markers outside the building, but most investigators appeared to examining the inside of the business. There appeared to be a pool of blood on the sidewalk near the door of the building.
The shooting was one of the most violent, in terms of number of people hurt, in recent Chicago memory. Last July, 15 people were shot outside a Gresham funeral home, but none of the victims died.
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In 2013, a mass shooting wounded 13 people, including a 3-year-old boy, in Cornell Park near 51st and Wood in Back of the Yards.
Last December, six people were hurt after gunfire broke out at an overnight party in a South Side salon in the Burnside neighborhood.
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So far this year, officers have responded to 393 shooting incidents across the city through March 7, according to police statistics. That’s a 31 percent increase over the same period last year, which saw 301 shooting incidents.
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(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2021. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)