What started as a late-night drive in Little Village ended in gunfire Friday, leaving two 18-year-olds seriously wounded and adding yet another shooting to an already violent Memorial Day weekend on Chicago's Southwest Side.
What police said
Chicago police said the shooting happened around 11:16 p.m. on Friday, May 29, on the 2800 block of South Sawyer Avenue. The teens were riding in a car when someone on the street opened fire, according to ABC7 Chicago.
One 18-year-old was hit by a graze wound to the head and taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition. The other victim, also 18, suffered gunshot wounds to the body and made it to a hospital on his own; he was likewise reported in serious condition, ABC7 Chicago reported.
Wider weekend context
The shooting is part of a broader burst of violence over the Memorial Day weekend that left dozens of people wounded across the city, according to Chicago Sun-Times.
Little Village has been particularly hard hit. Local outlets reported a separate mass shooting in the neighborhood earlier in the holiday stretch, as detailed by FOX 32 Chicago.
Community reaction and city response
Neighborhood leaders say the latest violence has residents on edge and has renewed calls for expanded summer safety programs to give teens something to do besides dodge bullets. City aldermen and police officials have floated plans for increased patrols and proposals to hold parents accountable when teens are involved in unauthorized street takeovers and similar gatherings, according to NBC Chicago.
Investigations ongoing
Detectives are still working the Sawyer Avenue case and have not released any information about possible suspects or a motive, ABC7 Chicago reported. Both victims, identified only as 18-year-old males, remain hospitalized in serious condition.
