Drive-by shooting during large gathering near St. Sabina Church injures 7 teens, police say
Several teens were hospitalized after a mass shooting overnight on the city's South Side.
Chicago police said just before 2 a.m., patrolling officers were trying to disperse a large gathering in the 1200 block of West 78th Street, steps away from St. Sabina Church.
During this, an unknown vehicle drove by and began firing shots at the crowd, hitting the victims before leaving the scene.
The victims, all males between 17 and 19 years of age, were taken to hospitals, most in fair condition with injuries to their legs, backs, and arms. An 18-year-old was taken in serious condition after being hit in the leg and chest. Although police were already on the scene when the shots rang out, no officers were injured.
Well before the first gunshot went off, neighbors said more than 100 youth – mostly teenagers – were hanging out in a parking lot across the street from St. Sabina. They thought it was very odd; the teens were listening to music and dancing, but it was between 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m.
"There was music, just a bunch of people. It seemed like they were having some type of party," one neighbor said. "That's not a normal occurrence, no."
Father Michael Pfleger, the well-known pastor of St. Sabina, said the young people were at an after-prom gathering at a house.
"You had kids coming from all over the damn city," Pfleger said. "From what I understand, it kept growing and growing and growing, and several … couple hundred were out here. Somebody called the police, and they came, and they were dispersing the kids here, and while this is going on, over on 78th Street, a car comes through shooting at the crowd."
He said the shooting is not connected to the church.
"I'm very angry. I'm very disgusted, very sad," he said. "You know, was an after party, a time when kids supposed to be celebrating, having a great time, celebrating prom, celebrating end of the year ... this is not something that a snap curfew or jobs or programs or police can avoid. This is two o'clock in the morning. Parents have to know where their kids are at two o'clock in the morning."
A witness who is also a member of the church said she saw a large crowd of about 100 kids, and was standing outside to ensure no damage was done to the church.
"I was out here when the gunshots rang out and when the kids dispersed, and the police still had to get children to leave even after they heard the gunshots," Tiffani Cooper said.
Pfleger said he takes the mass shooting personally.
"They know what we stand for here," he said.
St. Sabina holds weekly peace rallies on Fridays during the summer, and Pfleger said he considers this shooting an attack on the peace he fights for daily.
"The only thing in my mind that could have avoided last night is parents knowing where their kids are, and it's kids making right choices. Unfortunately we live in a day, if 50-60 people are gathering, you need to leave, and stop putting stuff on social media," he said.
Pfleger on Sunday called the police response to the shooting "amazing," and praised Gresham (6th) District officers — saying they probably saved the life of a seriously hurt victim by taking him to the hospital themselves without waiting for an ambulance.
Pfleger said a $10,000 reward is being offered for the arrest of the shooter or shooters. St. Sabina wants those same youngsters who were at the gathering to help solve this crime.
"You come over here, and you're going shoot like this, in my mind you attacked this church, you attacked me personally, besides those kids," Pfleger said.
As of Saturday afternoon, there was no one in custody. Area 2 detectives were investigating.
