Drive-By Shooting on Austin's North Pine Avenue Leaves Four Wounded, Two Critical

A drive-by shooter opened fire on a group of people in the Austin neighborhood Friday morning, wounding four, two of them critically.

Chicago police said the shooting happened around 9:30 a.m. in the 400 block of North Pine Avenue. A dark-colored vehicle pulled up near a 20-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman who were standing outside. Someone inside the car started shooting, then the vehicle sped off. Police have not said which direction it went.

The woman was shot in the abdomen and arm and was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition. The 20-year-old man was also shot and taken to Mt. Sinai, but he was listed in good condition.

Police later said two more people were hurt in the same shooting. A 21-year-old man was shot in the back and arrived at Mt. Sinai in critical condition after making his own way to the hospital. A 25-year-old man was shot in the leg and also self-transported to Mt. Sinai; he was listed in good condition.

All four victims ended up at the same hospital, two of whom got there on their own. Police have not said whether the victims were together when the shooting started or whether some were struck as bystanders. No arrests have been announced, and no description of the shooter or the vehicle beyond its dark color has been released.

Area detectives are handling the investigation. Chicago police have not said whether they believe the shooting was targeted or what, if anything, prompted it.

Chicago police have investigated similar drive-by shootings in Portage Park, Chatham, Princeton Park and West Englewood in recent weeks, including one shooting on the South Side in June that left 14 people wounded when gunmen fired into a crowd. Friday's shooting in Austin involved far fewer victims, but it shared the same basic setup: a vehicle approaching people on a public street, gunfire, then the car leaving before officers arrived.

Austin, on Chicago's West Side, has for years recorded some of the city's highest shooting totals, and North Pine Avenue sits in a stretch of the neighborhood that has seen repeated gun violence. Friday's shooting happened on a weekday morning, not late at night, on a block lined with homes.

Chicago police have not released any suspect information or said whether they have identified a motive. The investigation into the shooting on North Pine Avenue continues, and detectives are asking anyone with information to come forward. The conditions of the two critically injured victims, the 50-year-old woman and the 21-year-old man, had not been updated as of Friday afternoon.