CHICAGO — Nine people were killed and at least 26 were wounded in weekend shootings across Chicago, with several shootings occurring downtown.

The shootings occurred between 5 p.m. Friday and 12 a.m. Monday.

Early Sunday morning, the Gold Coast was the backdrop for a homicide that took place in the Sonesta E-S Suites in the 200 block of East Walton Street. Hotel officials described the shooting as an isolated incident.

No one is in custody for the shooting.

At approximately 5 p.m. Sunday, a shooting in the Loop caused the cancellation of the Moulin Rouge performance at the Nederland Theater.

Witness Ryan Bush described the violent incident to WGN News that allegedly wounded two innocent bystanders.

“We heard some shots on Wabash. It took a second to register but then when the second shot went off, then it actually kicked in,” Bush said. “We seen two guys cut. They were running for their lives down the alley, full sprint.”

Police said one man was shot in the hand and another man was struck to the ear in the East Benton Place alley just north of the corner of Wabash Avenue and Randolph Street.

Bush tended to one of the wounded men, a veteran stagehand, who took a bullet to his ear, exiting his neck. 

Both men were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in fair condition and no one is in custody.

Gun violence has continued to leave many in Chicago shaken up, even after the Cook County Sheriff’s new command post was officially opened downtown less than a week ago.

Additionally, a woman was shot to death outside a bowling alley in River North early Saturday morning. No one has been arrested for her murder.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown lamented the weekend’s violence, acknowledging that shootings and robberies are occurring more frequently in neighborhoods unaccustomed to heavy crime.

“Putting together an immediate plan that will start this week that will add even more resources to our downtown neighborhoods,” Brown said.

But Brown says when it comes to Chicago’s 55 highest crime beats, there are signs of progress.

“In the 55 beats, there is a 29% reduction in homicides and a 41% reduction in shootings,” Brown added.

Brown says on average about 50% of the city’s crime comes from those 55 police beats but adds that citywide, things are improving.

“There were 49 murders for the month of April, that’s a 9% decline from the previous April,” Brown said.