At least 15 people were shot dead at a Halloween party in Chicago's west side on Sunday (October 29). 

A statement issued by the Chicago Police Department said that the victims included six women and nine men between the ages of 26 and 53.

"The offender fled on foot and was placed into custody by responding officers a short distance away. 

A handgun was recovered on his person and the offender was transported to the area for questioning by detectives," the statement said.

The officers responded to shots fired in the area and observed an unknown male shooting into the location where a gathering was taking place, it said The offender fled on foot and was placed into custody by responding officers a short distance away, the statement further added.

Two people were reported to be in critical condition: a 26-year-old woman who sustained a gunshot wound to the left hip and right buttocks, and a 48-year-old man who sustained a gunshot wound to the right hip, thigh, and two gunshot wounds to the left thigh. 

This shooting in Chicago comes days after a man killed 18 people at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston and later died by suicide. Forty-year-old Robert Card was found dead inside a tractor-trailer near a recycling centre where he used to work.

Card, an army reservist, suffered from serious mental health issues, Maine public safety commissioner Mike Sauschuck said on Saturday.

Addressing a press conference, Sauschuck said that Card had reportedly been hearing voices and suffering from paranoia. "Clearly, there's a mental health component to this," he told reporters.

An investigation was on to determine the motive behind the massacre.

Source: WION

BDST: 1024 HRS, OCT 31, 2023
MN