5 wounded in Near West Side shooting

Multiple people were shot Saturday while gathering outside in the Near West Side.

About 2:32 a.m., five people were on the street in the 2400 block of West Jackson Boulevard when someone unleashed gunfire, Chicago police said. All five took themselves to area hospitals.

Emmanuel Camarillo/Sun-Times

A 22-year-old woman went to the University of Illinois Medical Center with a gunshot wound to her leg, police said. Her condition was stabilized.

Four others went to Stroger Hospital, police said. Two 28-year-old men shot in the leg and back and a 54-year-old man hit in the back had their conditions stabilized. A 49-year-old woman who was shot in the chin is in serious condition.

Witnesses and the five shot didn’t see who shot them or know where the rounds came from, police said. Area North detectives are investigating.

Red cups and liquor bottles littered the street. A blue flat-brimmed Cleveland Cavaliers hat lay crushed on the sidewalk beside a fresh blood splatter.

A bullet struck the side of an apartment building on the street, but the man who was sleeping in one of units said he didn’t hear any gunfire.

Emmanuel Camarillo/Sun-Times

“I was woken up by the police lights,” Giovanni said. He only gave his first name for fear of getting recognized by the large group of people he said gather on the corner nearly every weekend.

“It’s a large crowd,” he said, “I usually try not to interact with them.”

The former Pilsen resident has been living in the apartment for a little over a year and said he’s previously complained about the gatherings to police.

“They usually just drive by but don’t do anything about them,” he said. “Last weekend was really noisy, too. Nothing happened but it was just a matter of time.”

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