Gunfire erupted out near a pickup softball game at Washington Park on the South Side on Tuesday night, injuring at least nine individuals, two of whom died.
Around 7:45 p.m., two groups got into a fight that turned into a gunfight at 5531 S. King Drive, according to Deputy Chief Fred Melean, who spoke at a press conference at the neighbouring University of Chicago Medical Center.
Melean remarked, “It’s another unfortunate situation.”
He was unable to confirm whether the groups were taking part in the game being played in the park. However, at the scene, a baseball diamond’s stands were blocked off by caution tape, and lawn chairs had been abandoned.
An official law enforcement source reported that more than 30 shell casings had been found.
According to the Cook County medical examiner’s office and the police, 43-year-old Lionel Coward had a gunshot wound to the back of his skull. Emergency personnel discovered him in critical condition; he subsequently passed away.
A second male, age 20, who had been shot several times, was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he passed away.
The conditions of a lady, 47, who was shot in the upper left thigh, a guy, 30, who was shot in the left shin, a man, 39, who was injured in the right ankle, and a man, 22, who was shot in the left elbow, were all described as being in good condition. All of them were transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center via ambulance.
Later, two more patients arrived at the hospital: a 46-year-old guy with a graze wound to his right leg and a 33-year-old woman with a graze wound to her upper right arm. A 19-year-old male with a cut to his right shoulder arrived at Insight Hospital. He had a good condition listing.
