Looters in Chicago Ransack and Vandalize Stores After Shooting Incident

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Stores miles from downtown were also ransacked, their parking lots littered with glass and boxes that once contained television sets and other electronics.

“This was obviously very orchestrated,” the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a prominent Roman Catholic priest and activist on the city’s South Side, told Chicago television station WBBM.

The havoc left some downtown residents rattled.

“I’ve lived here for 20 years, and it’s getting scary, because you can’t walk out now," said Alan Freeman, who lives in the downtown area. “You don’t know if they’re going to start with the people walking on the streets, instead of the stores.”

Train and bus service into downtown was temporarily suspended, and bridges over the Chicago River were lifted, preventing travel to and from the downtown area.

Some highway ramps were also closed.

Although those restrictions were eased later in the day, they were to be reimposed beginning Monday evening until Tuesday morning.

Brown said the police department would maintain a huge presence in the downtown area indefinitely, telling reporters that all days off had been canceled until further notice.

On the South Side, police responded about 2:30pm Sunday to a call about a person with a gun in the Englewood neighborhood and tried to confront someone matching his description in an alley. He fled from officers on foot and shot at officers, police said.

More than an hour after the shooting, police and witnesses said a crowd faced off with officers after someone reportedly told people that police had shot and wounded a child. That crowd eventually dispersed.

But police later came across the social media post about a caravan of cars “being prompted to go to our downtown to loot”, Brown said. "Within 15 minutes, we respond and almost immediately the caravan is in our downtown area.” 

(Writer: Don Babwin) 

Source: https://apnews.com/a105a525e52c3447d506216048aa3c40