As the area was packed with people enjoying the holiday season, a shooting outside the Macy’s department store on State Street in Chicago’s busy Loop on Saturday night injured a 19-year-old woman, CBS News Chicago reported. The incident, which happened just before 9 p.m. at State and Washington streets, brought a violent shock to a night full of celebrations, attracting crowds for the Christkindlmarket and the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival and Parade.
After being hit by gunfire while out for a walk with a group of people, the young woman hurried into Macy’s, according to authorities. Hospital officials later characterized her condition as fair. According to unconfirmed police dispatch records published by NBC Chicago, a second woman who was present during the shooting experienced a medical issue that was reportedly a panic attack. She was also sent to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
The shooting caused chaos for both festival-goers and shoppers, with some fleeing behind concrete barricades at Daley Plaza and others taking cover in nearby eateries and shops. The disturbance continued even as the Christkindlmarket was about to close at night and crowds of people were starting to thin out. “My cousin is from Rio de Janeiro, which is notoriously violent. She had never experienced that before, so she traveled to Chicago to do so. So it’s a little depressing. Francisco Malafaia told CBS News Chicago, “I’ve been in the United States for 17 years, and when I moved here, this was unthinkable.”
Less than a block from the site, the CBS News Chicago office on Washington Street was among the neighboring buildings whose windows were shaken by the loud and quick shooting, according to witnesses. CBS News Chicago sports anchor Matt Zahn heard gunshots from the station’s office just a block away, demonstrating how close violence encroached on the city’s festive spirit, even though officers quickly responded to the busy area and briefly detained someone near the CBS News Chicago offices. However, no one was ultimately taken into custody, leaving Area 3 detectives to continue their investigation into the incident.
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