It happened outside an ice cream shop across from Carl Schurz High School in the 3600 block of North Milwaukee Avenue. At an evening press conference, police said the four were believed to be “CPS students,” but police did not say whether they attended Schurz. The Chicago Teachers Union later tweeted that the victims were from Schurz and “a local charter school.” Police responded to a report of shots fired at approximately 2:45 p.m. and the victims were found on the patio of a nearby business, and the shots were believed to have come from a dark SUV found on Addison Street, Deputy Chief Roberto Nieves told reporters. The victims, all male, were two 15-year-olds, a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old. A 15-year-old boy who was shot in the face and neck was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital in critical condition, police said. The other 15-year-old, who was shot in the back, was taken to Stroger, where he was in good condition, police said. The 17-year-old, who was shot in the leg, was taken to Community First Medical Center in fair condition while the 18-year-old, also shot in the leg and in fair condition, was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic. Medical Center, according to police and Larry Merritt, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department. Schurz, at the corner of Milwaukee and Addison, was placed on lockdown when the shooting occurred “shortly before the school dismissal bell,” according to an emailed statement from Chicago Public Schools. Nieves said some Schurz students had already been let out because the school has staggered dismissal times. But he said the “majority” of students were still inside the building. “This is very disturbing,” Nieves said. “We are very upset and disappointed by this. Our No. 1 priority is the safety of our children, especially our school-aged children. They should be safe to come and while they are at school and going home. So we will work to maintain it and we assure parents that we will be here to protect our children.” He said increased patrols during the morning bell and dismissal hours will begin Thursday. The lockdown was later lifted and the students were released, the CPS statement added. “Our thoughts are with the people who were injured in this incident,” the statement said. Police and fire trucks partially blocked the intersection at Addison and Milwaukee just before 6 p.m. Wednesday, directing traffic around emergency vehicles. A group of police gathered around the La Michoacana ice cream shop across the street from the school. Apparent bullet holes from the attack shattered the top of two windows near the ice cream parlor’s main entrance, and snacks — a bottle of soda, water and two bags of chips — were left on patio tables. At 7 p.m. the intersection had reopened, emergency vehicles were nowhere to be seen, and red and yellow crime scene tape was stuffed into the ice cream parlor’s trash can. Wednesday was the third day of the new CPS school year. The district just last week unveiled new safety and security plans. Schurz is one of several CPS high schools whose Local School Board has voted in the past two years to eliminate school resources tasked with monitoring safety. Orlando Rodríguez, 56, who lives about two blocks south of the school and grew up in Irving Park, said he often hears gunshots in his neighborhood late at night and sees teenagers fighting in the park near the school. “It’s rough here,” Rodríguez said of the violence in the neighborhood.
Afternoon briefing
Daily Top stories from Chicago Tribune editors, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. Rodriguez was visiting his son’s grave Wednesday afternoon when he heard about the shooting near the school. He said he and a friend had gone to La Michoacana ice cream after visiting the tomb. Check back for details. Rosemary Sobol of the Chicago Tribune contributed. [email protected] [email protected]
