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Chicago drag race shooting: 3 shot dead at unauthorized car drifting event involving 100 cars

The three deceased were between the ages of 15-20 while two others were rushed to hospital

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Three young people have been shot dead after at least 13 gunshots were heard among a crowd of about 100 drivers and drifters in Chicago, police have said. Among those who died was a 15-year-old boy. Around 4 am on Sunday, October 23, police rushed to an intersection on the Southwest Side of Chicago after monitoring a "large car caravan" on surveillance video. The shooting took place in the Brighton Park neighborhood's 4300 block of South Kedzie Avenue.

Cops said that surveillance video showed people were seen "hitting the ground". At least 13 gunshots were recorded by the police's gunshot detective system at a time when there was various unauthorized car drifting events in Brighton Park. As many as five people were hit during the shooting.

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The three deceased were between the ages of 15-20, The US Sun reported. All of them had gang affiliations, according to Police Commander Don Jerome. Besides the ones who died, two other men, aged 19 and 21, had to be rushed to the hospital in serious condition. Police have said they are expected to survive.

Two puddles of dried blood stained the sidewalk after the shooting as police tape cordoned off two vehicles on the northeast corner of the intersection. Drifters burned tire marks across the road. Police are now looking for "one or two people" who are "not necessarily" those in the hospital.

No weapons have been recovered at the scene, and cops have been monitoring several caravans the night the shooting was carried out. This past year, car caravans have taken over the city and people have said illegal "takeovers" have been taking place for the past several weeks in Brighton Park. Johnny Castro, who owns a Bakery near the intersection where the shooting happened, told the Chicago Sun Times that "it's been a problem" every Friday and Saturday night. So far this weekend, nine juveniles are among at least 50 people shot, 10 of them fatally, in Chicago gun violence. 

Police are yet to confirm the cause of the shooting. They have said the investigation remains ongoing. However, local Alderman Raymond Lopez said it stemmed from a fight between opposing gangs. Lopez said now that gang members are going to these drifting events, “we’ll continue to have dangerous climaxes."

Lopez, a mayoral candidate, said the shooting indicated that city officials need to do more to address the issue, claiming Chicago's anti-drifting laws are "passive". He said police must target the social media accounts that promote the events. Lopez believes it is difficult for police to stop these events as hundreds of drivers block the way to the intersection. “Even if officers are on site, they can’t intervene and save lives,” he said.