Three young men were shot to death and two others seriously injured in Chicago in what police called an illegal race involving some 100 vehicles. The shooting happened around 4 a.m. in Brighton Park after the caravan blocked streets toward an intersection for the illegal race, Chicago Police Cmdr. Don Jerome said at a news conference.
The dead were between the ages of 15 and 20, and the injured are likely to survive, the official said. There were no arrests. Blocking streets and intersections for racing “is a semi-recent phenomenon in which young people gather in various parts of the city.
There were other similar incidents last night that were of no consequence except this one,” Jerome said. The councilor representing the affected area said that the police must act to put an end to the phenomenon.
“This is not just having a little fun on the street,” Councilman Raymond Lopez told reporters at the scene. “Here we are seeing that gangs and thugs get involved.”
He added that the races are promoted through Snapchat and other social networks, which is why a large number of vehicles attend the events. He said that once he was caught in one of those events and that it was “like being a hostage in the middle of a public road.” Lopez said the city should consider blocking vehicles and towing them away.
(With information from agencies)