CHICAGO — A teen and a man were shot Saturday night on the South Side.
Just before 7:10 p.m., police officers observed a shooting in the 5900 block of South Halsted.
Police said three suspects were in a Toyota Corolla when one exited and fired shots into a Nissan Rogue.
An Uber sticker was displayed on the window of the Nissan, though it’s not clear if the driver was on the job.
Chicago police told WGN they couldn’t confirm if the driver was a rideshare driver.
“We are sickened to hear the news of this senseless act of violence. We’ve been in touch with the driver to check on his well-being and stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation,” a spokesperson for Uber told WGN News.
A 17-year-old boy and a 54-year-old man sustained gunshot wounds and were transported to a local hospital in unknown conditions.
One CPD officer fired shots in the direction of the suspects, who are at-large. Police haven’t said how many shots were fired by the officer or whether anyone was hit.
Gabrielle Thompkins saw the commotion near a gas station, which she says is typically packed with people.
“When I saw the cops out here, I knew something bad happened,” Thompkins said.
“They need to be held responsible because if you want to step behind and carry a gun, you should have the consequences that come with it,” Thompkins said. “You should not be walking around with a gun for no reason, it’s supposed to be for protection.”
Mark Williams, a resident of the area, said he doesn’t believe something like this is necessarily random.
While police haven’t shared whether the suspects and victims know each other, Williams and Thompkins do agree this kind of violence can put innocent people in danger.
“I think if we all get along and start putting our differences aside, we can get along, we can do better because we have to walk the streets,” Thompkins said. “Our kids have to walk the streets.”
Both said they hope to see changes to make the neighborhood a safer place for everyone, including young people.
Williams believes this means getting to the root causes of what drives violence.
“We need better opportunities, better jobs, better programs,” Williams said.
“I want us to do better as a community,” Thompkins said.
COPA is investigating the shots fired by the officer.
Anyone with information can leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.