One person was killed and 14 other people were wounded in separate shootings from Friday afternoon to early Saturday, police said.
During a violent two-hour stretch early Saturday, one person was killed and seven were wounded.
Armani Pickett, 20, was killed and two others were wounded in a shooting about 3:15 a.m. Saturday in the 3900 block of West Thomas Street in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, police said.
Officers responded to a call of shots fired and found the men on the street. Pickett was shot in the head and was pronounced dead.
Pickett, of the 5700 block of North Talman Avenue, was pronounced dead at 4:05 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
A 36-year-old man, also shot in the head, was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital. A 42-year-old man was shot in the left arm, and he was in good condition at Norwegian American Hospital.
Detectives were still investigating what led up to the shooting. Officers searched the roadway sandwiched by a vacant lot littered with trash and a large apartment building.
While officers were at the scene, multiple incidents of gunfire were heard in the area. At the edge of the crime scene, a flier was taped to a street pole urging people to, “Put Guns Down!!”
About the same time in Brighton Park, three people were shot while they were near a parked Chevrolet Impala in the 3800 block of South St. Louis Avenue. A dark sedan pulled up next to the group and a man got out of the car and opened fire. The shooter then got back in the car and drove off.
A 27-year-old woman who was shot in the head was in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital. A 28-year-old man was shot in the leg, and a 22-year-old man was shot in the back. Both men were taken to Mount Sinai, where their conditions were stabilized.
Officers guarded a parked silver Chevrolet Impala that had several visible bullet holes. The windows appeared to be shattered by gunfire. On the road, officers placed markers where spent shell casings had been found.
Jay Johnson, 36, was among the neighbors who watched as officers guarded the crime scene and interviewed witnesses. He said he was sleeping when gunfire woke him up. He recalled hearing about eight gunshots.
He put on his pants, went outside and saw the commotion of the aftermath of the shooting. His neighbor was one of the gunshot victims, and his neighbor’s brother had also been shot.
“Basically, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Johnson said. “They aren’t gangbangers, but they were in gang territory.”
There had been a small gathering for a birthday before the shooting. Johnson, who has lived in the neighborhood for two years, said the block is usually relatively quiet.
A man, who did not want to be identified, said he had been approached by someone in a car and asked if he was affiliated with a gang. Shortly after, he heard gunfire in the neighborhood.
Another neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said he was sleeping when he heard about 10 gunshots. He checked on his children before he went outside and found people screaming.
“It sounded very close to us,” he said. “It’s not the first time it’s happened.”
In South Austin, three men were shot about 9:05 p.m. Friday while they were standing in the 5200 block of West Congress Parkway when gunfire erupted.
A 25-year-old man was shot in the left arm, and a 27-year-old man was shot in the right foot. Both of their conditions were stabilized at Loretto Hospital.
A 22-year-old man was shot in the buttocks and was grazed in the left shoulder. His condition was stabilized at Loyola University Medical Center.
Other shootings:
* Just before 3:50 a.m. Saturday, a 26-year-old man was shot in the foot while he was standing in the 7600 block of South Bishop Street in the Gresham neighborhood. Three men approached the victim and one of them opened fire. He was taken in good condition to Holy Cross Hospital.
* About 2:05 a.m. Saturday in South Austin, a 28-year-old man was shot in the left arm and back while he was in a parked car in the 5400 block of West Ohio Street, police said. A man approached the car and opened fire. The victim then drove off and crashed into a structure on the 5400 block of West Huron Street. He was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital.
* Just before 11:10 p.m. Friday in the 8100 block of South Drexel Avenue in the East Chatham neighborhood, a 24-year-old man was walking when someone inside a red SUV opened fire, wounding him in the left leg. His condition was stabilized at Stroger Hospital.
* A 27-year-old woman was shot in the left wrist, thigh and foot during an argument in the 2900 block of East 91st Street in the South Chicago neighborhood, police said. About 9:15 p.m. Friday, she was inside an apartment arguing with someone when the person pulled out a gun and shot her. She was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where her condition was stabilized.
At some point, the man who shot her forced her and a 10-year-old child and 6-year-old child into a vehicle. He then crashed into another car in the 9000 block of South Jeffrey Boulevard. The children were also taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center for observation. The man accused of being the shooter, a 36-year-old man, was taken in serious condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Charges against him were pending.
People who were inside the second vehicle were taken to South Shore Hospital to be treated for nonlife-threatening injuries.
* About 5:40 p.m. Friday in the 600 block of South Sacramento Boulevard in the Lawndale neighborhood, a 19-year-old man was shot in the head, and he was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital.
* About 4:15 p.m. Friday, a 30-year-old man was shot in the Back of the Yards neighborhood in the 1400 block of West 49th Street, police said. The victim was shot in an arm, and taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, police said.
