(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
The Chicago Police Department has ordered a River North restaurant to be closed following a mass shooting that left eight people injured, four critically, early Sunday morning.
Police Superintendent Larry Snelling issued a summary closure order for Bllum, a restaurant and nightclub in the 300 block of West Erie Street, saying it “presents a public safety threat due to a violent offense occurring at this establishment.”
“The Superintendent of Police has determined that continued operation of this establishment presents a danger to the public …,” the department wrote in the summary closure notice.
According to police, the mass shooting took place just after 2:30 a.m. outside Blum, a restaurant and nightclub in the 300 block of West Erie Street. After a physical altercation broke out among a group of people, an exchange of gunfire ensued.
No one was in custody as of Monday morning.
Of the eight people who were shot, four were hospitalized in critical condition, including a 43-year-old woman, a 32-year-old man and two other men whose ages were unknown. Three other people were hospitalized in good condition and one man was listed as “stable.”
After the shooting, Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward) said he is seeking to have Blum shut down, saying it has been the source of “chronic neighborhood complaints and has been linked to prior shooting incidents.”
“Inexplicably, the city has allowed this nightclub to continue to operate, despite my prediction that it was just a matter of time before another shooting incident would occur,” he said in a statement. “Because the city has failed to close this bar, my office has been working to facilitate the sale of the building to have Blum shut-down and evicted. In fact, the property is currently under contract to be sold next month.”
Reilly had asked the CPD to issue a summary closure order to keep Blum from re-opening.
Also over the weekend, a 43-year-old man was fatally shot at around 6:30 p.m. Friday in the 10200 block of South Carpenter Street. Police said he was in an alley when someone opened fire, striking him in the head and chest. He was pronounced dead on scene.
A 23-year-old woman was also fatally shot just before 11 a.m. Saturday in the 1500 block of East 74th Street. According to police an unknown group fired shots, striking her and a 24-year-old man. The man suffered a graze wound and declined medical attention, while the woman later died at a local hospital.
Contact Matt Masterson: @ByMattMasterson | [email protected] | (773) 509-5431
