Mayor Johnson says city was monitoring 'teen takeover' plans during downtown holiday celebrations
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| A teen was killed and eight others were injured in Loop shootings on State Street and at Dearborn and Monroe, Chicago police and Mayor Johnson said. |
CHICAGO -- Chicago police said seven teens ranging in age from 13 to 17 were shot in the Loop Friday night. A separate shooting nearby left a teen dead and a man injured, officials said.
City officials and people who want to celebrate the holidays downtown are now speaking out.
More large crowds are expected in downtown Chicago through the rest of the year as many people begin to celebrate the holiday season. Now, along with the festive mood, there are some concerns about safety.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the city had been monitoring for possible "teen takeovers" downtown after seeing a social post days ago.
The shootings happened during a very busy night downtown, after the city held its official Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.
The first shooting unfolded before 10 p.m., just steps away from ABC7's State Street studios. ABC7 crews heard the shots.
Police said they spotted a large group on the sidewalk in the 100 block of North State Street when shots rang out, and the group scattered.
The chaotic scene played out in front of the Chicago Theater. Bystanders were also taking cover.
Most of victims were listed in good condition, and they were expected to recover, police said.
About an hour later, Chicago police said they responded to a shooting near Dearborn and Monroe. Officers said two people were shot around 10:40 p.m. in the 100 block of South Dearborn Street.
One of the male victims was taken to Northwestern Hospital and later died. Their identity was not yet known. The second victim is an 18-year-old man who was shot in the leg and was listed in serious condition, CPD said.
Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke on the shootings during an event Saturday morning, saying the victim who died in the second shooting was a 14-year-old.
"It is quite frankly frustrating, and quite upsetting when this type of violence takes place because it does engender and evoke fear," Johnson said. "So we will have a strong police presence. We'll have stronger control over how traffic flows."
The mayor says city officials got wind of some social media posts about a possible "teen takeover" downtown and had been working for the last few days to try to stop it from happening.
"There was a communication that was delivered to CPS to encourage young people not to participate in these unauthorized gatherings," Johnson said. "We had 700 additional officers on top of the First Police District present. We had CVI workers were out there as well."
Community violence interrupter Pastor Donovan Price says teens need supervision, especially in large crowds.
"Bring some family with you," Price said. "Bring mom, auntie, bring somebody with you an adult with you and just watch out. Be careful, and I'll pray for you."
Authorities said 18 people were arrested Friday night for curfew violations and various assaults. CPD said no suspects related to the shootings are in custody.
Chicago police said the following victims were shot in the State Street incident:
- -A 14-year-old boy sustained a gunshot graze wound to the stomach and is listed in good condition at Lurie Children's hospital.
- -A 15-year-old boy sustained a gunshot graze wound to the left thigh and is listed in good condition at Stroger hospital.
- -A 17-year-old boy sustained a gunshot graze wound to the left thigh and is listed in good condition at Stroger hospital.
- -A 14-year-old girl sustained a gunshot wound to the right hip and is listed in good condition at Lurie Children's hospital.
- -A 16-year-old boy sustained a gunshot wound to the leg and is listed in good condition at Northwestern hospital.
- -A 14-year-old boy sustained a gunshot wound to the leg and is listed in good condition at Lurie Children's hospital.
- -A 13-year-old girl sustained a gunshot wound to the leg and is listed in fair condition at Lurie Children's hospital.
Police have not said if the two shootings are connected. So far, no one is custody in either shooting.
An increased presence of CPD was visible Saturday in the Loop following the shooting. Some holiday revelers were on alert, but not too concerned.
Last Night #Chicago’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. 🎄
— Ｅｒｉｃｈ Ｓａｙｌｏｒ (@ErichSaylor) November 22, 2025
Fun right???
The #usualsuspects show up.
- 5 people shot
- 1 critical
- 300 rioting
- Multiple injured officers
- At least 1 officer hospitalized
Label these blck mfs as #terrorist already. pic.twitter.com/HEj3xrqYW8
"There's a lot of people out here," resident Edith Murry said. "I love Chicago."
"You can't really do much about it," said Hugo Leyva, who was visiting downtown for the holidays. "I'm just gonna go out and live my life, and I'm not gonna stay in the house all day."
The violence comes as a lot of people ventured back downtown for the Christkindlmarket and the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival and Parade.
"Even though we had an incident downtown yesterday, that was very unfortunate, nothing can stop me from coming to celebrate our city, the holidays and lighting on Michigan Avenue," Light Festival attendee Minka Giles said.
"Things are gonna happen. You can't really avoid it," Christkindlmarket attendee Tyler Murray said. "You just have to go out and have fun."
Chicago police plan on deploying an additional 300 officers on top of the already 700 assigned to cover weekend festivities. City officials said they are continuing to monitor the downtown area for unusual activity.
