Twenty-one people were shot in two American cities overnight.

Three of them are dead.

The attacks happened hundreds of miles apart, but the first shots were reported just 12 minutes apart.

One gunman — or group of gunmen — opened fire at a crowded park on Chicago’s South Side. Minutes later, bullets tore into a gathering on a residential street in Trenton, New Jersey.

By Sunday afternoon, families in both cities were grieving, nine wounded people in Trenton remained hospitalized, and police had announced no arrests in either case.

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Fox News reported that Chicago officers were already trying to disperse a large gathering in Washington Park when unknown shooters opened fire into the crowd at about 11:37 p.m. Saturday. The attack unfolded while police were still at the park.

Ten people were hit. A 35-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

The other nine victims were six men and three women between the ages of 23 and 45. Several were listed in good condition, while authorities had not disclosed the conditions of every wounded victim.

Police had not said what the gathering was for, what sparked the attack, or how many shooters were involved. No suspect description had been released.

Cook County Crime Stoppers put up a reward of as much as $10,000 for information leading to an arrest. The first police account gave no indication that investigators had anyone in custody.

Twelve minutes later, at about 12:25 a.m. Eastern time, Trenton police were sent to the area of 194 Locust Street after reports of repeated gunfire.

Trenton Journal published Mayor Reed Gusciora’s statement confirming that 11 people had been shot in the Wilbur section of East Trenton. The shooting struck a residential neighborhood in the middle of the night.

Two victims were pronounced dead. Nine others were taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, but officials had not released their names or conditions.

The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force took the lead on the investigation. The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Police, and officers from Ewing, Lawrence, and Hamilton helped Trenton police secure the area.

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Mayor Gusciora said officials were still working to learn who the victims were and what brought the crowd together. He offered no theory about a motive and announced no arrest.

Gusciora said one of the people killed had returned home from prison, was trying to rebuild his life, and had recently been recognized for his commitment to reentry and positive change.

That is the human cost hidden inside the numbers. He was a man working toward a different future when someone ended it.

The Chicago attack was just as sudden.

CBS Chicago reported that officers were along Cottage Grove Avenue near 55th Street when the shooting began on the eastern edge of Washington Park.

The 35-year-old man who died had been struck several times. Other victims suffered wounds to the chest, shoulder, arm, leg, ankle, elbow, and foot.

A 26-year-old woman who was shot multiple times in the chest was nevertheless listed in good condition. The conditions of three victims were still unknown in the first police account.

A 34-year-old man shot in the shoulder, a 45-year-old woman wounded in the elbow, and several other victims were also listed in good condition. The injured were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, Stroger Hospital, St. Bernard Hospital, and other hospitals.

No officers were injured. Detectives were still trying to determine who fired, how many weapons were involved, and why the crowd was targeted.

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Cook County Crime Stoppers offered up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in the Chicago case.

In Trenton, investigators had not announced a motive or identified any suspect. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said state officials were in contact with local authorities as the homicide investigation continued.

The timing is staggering, but it should not turn these people into a statistic.

Three lives were taken. Eighteen other people were wounded.

Behind every number is a family waiting for a hospital update, a knock on the door, or an answer police do not yet have.

Anyone with information about either attack should contact the investigating authorities. Silence protects the people who fired into those crowds — not the communities left to bury the dead.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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