Four people have been hospitalized following a drive-by shooting in metropolitan Illinois on Aug. 9.
A third man, 29, reportedly suffered a wound on the right side of his body. All three victims were in a stable condition at the Holy Cross Hospital, CBS reported.
Police understand the victims were standing on the sidewalk when someone opened fire from inside a moving vehicle, according to the Sun Times.
A witness to the incident told the paper the victims were attending a party in what was otherwise a peaceful neighborhood without any conflicts between locals.
“I paused to get my keys and wallet, and that’s when I heard the shots and hit the deck,” a 59-year-old anonymous male witness told the Tribune. “If I hadn’t paused, we would have walked across the street.”
The witness confirmed with the paper there were about 12 shell casings between the southeast and northwest corners of the intersection between West 73rd Street and South Artesian Avenue.
In contrast to the Sun Times, the witness claimed there had been a shooting in the block to the north of the latest shooting. He also recalled the drive-by shooter appeared to harbor a “lot of anger” before rapidly opening fire.
“They weren’t joking,” he told the Tribune. “This is not the end of it.”
Neighbors had originally planned to hold another block club meeting in August but are considering whether to postpone the event since the shooting occurred.
“This is all tired people on this block,” a 60-year-old grandmother told the Tribune. “What is going on? Neighbors are afraid to speak out. ... My grandbaby, she’s terrified, she’s not used to this.”
Police had made no arrests at the time of publication. Area central detectives are continuing the investigation.
