Teen driver killed, 3 wounded in Washington Park car-to-car shooting

A 15-year-old boy was killed and three other teens wounded in a car-to-car shooting Sunday in Washington Park on the South Side — the third of five shooting deaths in Chicago on New Year’s Day.

The victims were in a Kia driving north on Prairie Avenue at 57th Street when another car pulled along side them and someone inside opened fire, Chicago Police Department District Chief Chis Papaioannou told reporters at the scene.

The cars continued north as the gunman continued firing at the victims, police said.

Officers responded to a ShotSpotter gunshot detection alert about 1 p.m. and found the wounded teens inside the Kia, which had come to rest on a sidewalk in the 5600 block of South Prairie, Papaioannou said.

Adele Jones, the 15-year-old driver of the Kia, died, Papaioannou said.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

The other teens in the car, all male, were ages 14, 15, and 17. They were taken to University of Chicago Medical Center and Comer Children’s Hospital, according to police spokesman Tom Ahern. Two were in fair condition, while the third was in critical condition.

Papaioannou said the Kia had been stolen Friday but did not say where it was stolen.

It was unclear if the occupants of the cars had interacted before the shooting. Police did not say whether any weapons were recovered or give a motive for the shooting.

At the scene, police taped off the silver Kia, and more than a dozen shell casings were in the middle of the street, stretching half a block.

A woman who has lived on the block for 23 years said she heard two long bursts of gunfire. The block is normally quiet and doesn’t see this type of violence, she said.

“This is the first day of the year, and they started this s--- already,” said the woman, who asked not to be identified by name.

The shooting happened in the 2nd CPD district, which has seen a drop in shootings and killings compared with last year. The district, which stretches from Bronzeville to Woodlawn, saw 122 shootings and 31 murders in 2022 through Dec. 25, a 16% drop in shootings and 21% decline in murders over last year, according to police statistics.

The driver’s death was the third of five slayings in Chicago in 2023.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Less than two hours after midnight, a man was killed and another wounded in a shootout inside a business in West Town in the 2100 block of West Division Street.

Hours later, at 4:30 a.m., a man was shot and killed in the 3800 block of South Wallace Street in Bridgeport.

About 4:20 p.m., a man was in the 5000 block of West Superior Avenue when someone in a vehicle drove up and an occupant fired shots, killing him.

About 6:30 p.m., a 9-year-old boy was shot inside a home in Washington Heights on the South Side. The boy was later pronounced dead at Comer Children’s Hospital.

Police are offering a $15,000 reward to anyone with information that can lead to the arrest and conviction of any of the shooters.