On Saturday afternoon, four individuals were wounded when shots were fired during a funeral procession in Oak Park. The suburb was located around 10 miles from downtown Chicago.
Of the four victims, two of them were critically injured.
The incident occurred approximately at 1 p.m. The funeral procession was making its way from Chicago city to a cemetery located about half an hour north, in Des Plaines.
While en route, a white pickup truck came up alongside one of the cars in the procession. Someone in the pickup opened fire on the vehicle, hitting two passengers. The victims were then taken to Loyola Medical Center.
The same pickup truck then targeted another vehicle in the procession. As a result, two more individuals were wounded, though their injuries were not life-threatening.
They later admitted themselves to Rush Oak Park Hospital. Investigators were able to recover shell casings from the scene of the shooting.
CBS Chicago reported that the authorities are treating the shooting as a targeted act of violence. However, the individual or individuals responsible have yet to be identified. Oak Park Police Chief, Shatonya Johnson, in a statement, indicated that the perpetrator or perpetrators of the shooting likely do not pose an ongoing threat to the broader community.
The local administration explained that it is standard procedure for funeral homes to inform law enforcement of potentially high-risk funeral processions. This warning allows for proper traffic management and public safety measures to be put in place along the route. However, this protocol was not followed for this funeral.
The Oak Park Police Department is appealing to the public for any information regarding the incident, as they continue their pursuit of the assailants.