CHICAGO (AP) — Fifteen people were shot, one person was being questioned and multiple suspects were being sought after gunfire erupted outside a funeral home on Chicago’s South Side as the federal government moved forward on plans to deploy more agents to the city where violence is spiking.
First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter said mourners outside a funeral home in the Gresham neighborhood were fired upon Tuesday from a passing vehicle. Carter said several targets of the shooting returned fire. The vehicle later crashed and the occupants fled in several directions. Carter said all the victims were adults.
A person of interest was being questioned Tuesday night but no arrests had been made, police said.
Police spokeswoman Sally Bown confirmed Wednesday morning ahead of a news conference planned by the city’s police superintendent and mayor that the 15 people were shot. Police were still trying to determine what sparked the shooting, including whether it may have been gang-related, she said.
“At this point I don’t think they know,” Bown said.
The shooting comes as the Department of Homeland Security is planning to deploy dozens of federal agents to Chicago to deal with an uptick in violent crime.
Most victims were taken by the Chicago Fire Department to nearby hospitals in serious condition, said spokesman Larry Langford. They include 10 women from the ages of 21 and 65, including one of whom was shot in the chest, police said. The 65-year-old was treated at the scene.
Other victims include a man who was shot in the chest, arm and forearm, and two men, 32 and 22, who were shot in a hand, police said. An update on the shooting posted online by police early Wednesday showed that six people were in serious condition and that the nine others were in good condition.
