Two men were killed and two teenagers were wounded in a shooting outside Benito Juarez High School on the West Side Friday afternoon.
The shooting happened around 2:30 p.m. in the 2100 block of South Laflin Street, just as classes were dismissing for the day, officials said.
One boy was dead on arrival at Stroger Hospital and another boy died after being taken there in “traumatic arrest,” officials said. Two other juveniles – a man and a woman – were in less serious condition at the hospital, officials said.
The boys are believed to be 16 years old and the girl 15.
Police were told a suspect wearing a black mask, black hoodie and black North Face jacket was seen running west on Cermak Road and north of Ashland Avenue.
Police work outside Juarez High School after four youths were shot outside.
Juarez students were dismissed for the day at 2:30 p.m., walking out when the shooting occurred. A clerk who answered the school’s main office phone said Juarez went into lockdown after the shooting, but police gave the all-clear around 3:30 p.m.
A sophomore who gave only his last name, Nava, said he was waiting in front of the school for his father to pick him up when he heard gunshots on the block toward Ashland.
“It’s crazy,” Nava said outside the crime scene Friday night. “I heard two shots and then everyone started running and went inside.”
The 15-year-old went back inside and called his father, who was not far away.
His 46-year-old father said he rushed through traffic to reach his son. “I was so nervous, I ran to the lights. I don’t care,” he said.
A senior, who gave his name only as Marcel, was joining the crush of students on their way out the door when the shooting began.
“It’s packed out,” he said. “I only heard three shots but there were two people on the ground.” He went back inside with the other students.
Guillermo Niño is an anti violence worker in the Enlace group. He said he’s been showing up at gun violence scenes for 15 years to provide resources for victims, but this time the call came from one of his daughters who attended Juarez.
One is a sophomore, the other is a senior and he called her after the shooting started. “Daddy, there’s a shooting going on here,” she told him, calling from a teacher’s car where she was hiding.
He hung up to check on his other daughter and soon arrived with some of his colleagues.
“Will my children be afraid to go to school? It’s supposed to be a safe haven,” he said. “For them to have to run to survive a shooting, it’s not cool.”
As the students were allowed to leave, several of the school’s social studies teachers were waiting outside, checking in with them.
“I don’t know how they are,” said one of the teachers, who has been teaching at the school for 8 years. “It’s annoying. You hear about shootings around the city but then it comes to where you are.”
The school held a community event last Friday with food and performances from the school’s dance and drum groups, with free challenges handed out ahead of the Christmas holiday.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez is a Juarez alum. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school. Martinez and Mayor Lori Lightfoot hosted her introductory news conference at the school when she was hired in September 2021.
Check back for updates.
