A 16-year-old boy was fatally shot near “The Bean” sculpture in downtown Chicago’s Millennium Park, authorities said.
Police said the teen was shot in the chest at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday near the popular tourist attraction. Police have not yet identified the boy.
He was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
At least two suspects were taken in for questioning and at least two weapons were recovered, authorities said.
An investigation is ongoing. Police did not provide any additional information.
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Hundreds of people were at the park earlier on Saturday as part of demonstrations across the U.S. protesting a recently leaked draft opinion that suggests the Supreme Court is prepared to overturn the constitutional right to abortion. It is unclear if the teen who was shot had taken part in the demonstration, which began around 1 p.m. Participants had largely dispersed by late afternoon.
Police cleared and closed the park following the shooting. It is unclear when it will reopen.
The shooting comes amid a surge in deadly violence in the city in recent years. This year, Chicago has recorded 779 shooting incidents and 194 homicides, compared to 898 shootings and 207 homicides during the same period in 2021, according to figures last updated by the Chicago Police Department on May 8.
Chicago and some other U.S. cities reported dramatic spikes in homicide totals last year. Chicago’s 797 homicides in 2021– its highest toll for any year in a quarter century– eclipsed the totals in the two bigger U.S. cities, surpassing Los Angeles’ tally by 400 and New York’s by nearly 300.
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