
‘This is personal': 7 teens wounded in drive-by shooting in Auburn Gresham after St. Sabina graduation party
Chicago police said seven teens were wounded in an overnight shooting at a large gathering in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood after a St. Sabina graduation party, drawing an angry statement from the church's longtime leader, Father Michael Pfleger,Shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday, officers on patrol in the 1200 block of West 78th Street were trying to disperse a large crowd when a vehicle drove by and someone opened fire. Seven teens were shot before the vehicle fled the scene, police said.
Officers located multiple victims shot in an alley in the 1200 block of west 78th Street who were initially uncooperative, according to a police report. Victims later said that they were leaving a graduation party at St. Sabina Church when three to four people with ski masks exited a black SUV and started shooting. A neighbor also told officers that they saw a person step out of a dark colored SUV and shoot at the victims who were on the sidewalk.
Officers located a rifle found underneath a car and multiple shell casings were also found on the block, according to a police report.
'I'm angry, I'm mad, and I'm disgusted,' Pfleger said in a video on Facebook. 'This is not something you can solve by more programming, more police, by SNAP Curfew, none of that stuff can stop this. 2 o'clock in the morning what's gonna stop this is parents saying 'Where the hell are your kids?''
Pfleger in his statement urged parents to make sure they always know where their kids are, for young people to make wiser choices about what they post on social media and for people stop carrying around guns and embracing gun culture.
'This is personal. This is an attack on St. Sabina. This is an attack on me personally. This is an attack on everything we stand for,' Pfleger said.
Pfleger said that he is planning to offer a $10,000 dollar reward to anyone who catches the suspects of the shooting. He is advising anyone with information on the shooting to call either the police at 312-745-3610 or 773-483-4300
Teens ranging in age from 17 to 19 were taken to area hospitals.
No one was in custody for the drive-by shooting, and detectives were investigating.
The incident also comes about two weeks before St. Sabina is scheduled to do their peace walks, where St. Sabina parishioners walk through the neighborhood every Friday during the summer to prevent gun violence. The walk includes passing out information about social services and job opportunities, among other resources. The first march is scheduled for June 13 at 7 p.m.

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Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Miami Herald
Shooting injures 7 at gathering near church, IL cops say. ‘This is personal'
Several people were hospitalized after a gunman opened fire on a late-night gathering across the street from a Catholic school, Illinois police said. Seven males between the ages of 17 and 19 were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds on May 31, Chicago police said. One is in serious condition with gunshot wounds to the chest and leg, while the other six are in fair condition, police said. 'I am angry. I'm disgusted. I'm hurt, and I'm mad,' St. Sabina senior pastor the Rev. Michael Pfleger said in a video. Police were dispersing the crowd of young people when a person driving by shot at the group just 'steps away' from St. Sabina Catholic Church on the city's South Side, police and Pfleger said. The pastor, whose church is two weeks away from hosting a peace rally in the community, is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of those involved in the drive-by shooting. 'This is personal to me,' he said in a video. He added, 'I want the people in that car caught. I want them in jail.' Pfleger's message to the community acknowledged gun violence in the community. In a video, Pfleger said it is parents' responsibility to know where their children are and keep them safe. He also left a message for young people, telling them they are 'too valuable' to put their lives at risk. 'And stop carrying around all these guns,' he said. 'When are we going to wake up from this damn gun culture?' Police said no one is in custody and detectives are investigating.


Chicago Tribune
01-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
‘This is personal': 7 teens wounded in drive-by shooting in Auburn Gresham after St. Sabina graduation party
Chicago police said seven teens were wounded in an overnight shooting at a large gathering in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood after a St. Sabina graduation party, drawing an angry statement from the church's longtime leader, Father Michael Pfleger,Shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday, officers on patrol in the 1200 block of West 78th Street were trying to disperse a large crowd when a vehicle drove by and someone opened fire. Seven teens were shot before the vehicle fled the scene, police said. Officers located multiple victims shot in an alley in the 1200 block of west 78th Street who were initially uncooperative, according to a police report. Victims later said that they were leaving a graduation party at St. Sabina Church when three to four people with ski masks exited a black SUV and started shooting. A neighbor also told officers that they saw a person step out of a dark colored SUV and shoot at the victims who were on the sidewalk. Officers located a rifle found underneath a car and multiple shell casings were also found on the block, according to a police report. 'I'm angry, I'm mad, and I'm disgusted,' Pfleger said in a video on Facebook. 'This is not something you can solve by more programming, more police, by SNAP Curfew, none of that stuff can stop this. 2 o'clock in the morning what's gonna stop this is parents saying 'Where the hell are your kids?'' Pfleger in his statement urged parents to make sure they always know where their kids are, for young people to make wiser choices about what they post on social media and for people stop carrying around guns and embracing gun culture. 'This is personal. This is an attack on St. Sabina. This is an attack on me personally. This is an attack on everything we stand for,' Pfleger said. Pfleger said that he is planning to offer a $10,000 dollar reward to anyone who catches the suspects of the shooting. He is advising anyone with information on the shooting to call either the police at 312-745-3610 or 773-483-4300 Teens ranging in age from 17 to 19 were taken to area hospitals. No one was in custody for the drive-by shooting, and detectives were investigating. The incident also comes about two weeks before St. Sabina is scheduled to do their peace walks, where St. Sabina parishioners walk through the neighborhood every Friday during the summer to prevent gun violence. The walk includes passing out information about social services and job opportunities, among other resources. The first march is scheduled for June 13 at 7 p.m.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Community leaders push for a safe and peaceful Memorial Day weekend
CHICAGO () — Across Chicago, people are setting up for Memorial Day weekend with safety at the top of mind for elected officials and community leaders. Community members are using the weekend to host events that promote unity and encourage young people to make better choices. 'Memorial Day weekend is an important weekend. It can be a violent weekend. It's the start of summer,' Father Michael Pfleger said. Pfleger says his church, St. Sabina, will be hosting a youth and family say on Saturday where the message to teens will be to stay away from teen takeovers. More: Council postpones vote on controversial ordinance addressing 'teen takeovers' 'Young people, they have to make smart choices,' Pfleger said. 'There's nothing wrong with going downtown with a group of your friends, they should be able to do this. But if you see it turn into something else, walk away. Leave.' On the South Side, Kweisi the Poet is hosting the first of several open mic poetry and comedy events for young people to have somewhere to go to express themselves this weekend. 'We're all poets at the end of the day; We all have feelings,' Kweisi Gharreau said. 'It's about how we express that. How do we let it out?' His events are about promoting peace and for people to put down their guns. 'My message is think before you react. That one to three seconds before a decision can turn into life in prison,' Gharreau said. This week, city leaders shared there will be a collaborative approach to safety this summer. Chicago Police Department data shows a decrease in homicides, shootings, shooting victims and robberies. 'I think this is a really important weekend, and as a city, we want to get off on the right foot,' Ald. Marty Quinn (13th Ward) said. Ald. Quinn says while crime trends are heading in the right direction, there are neighborhoods that are still struggling. He is among those in a coalition pushing for the opening of a new police district on the Southwest Side to better serve area residents. State and local lawmakers push for a new Southwest Side police district A roll call for 8th District officers took place at 6 p.m. Friday to show solidarity ahead of a busy weekend for Chicago police. 'It's important for us as a community to recognize that and to say thank you,' Ald. Quinn said. 'Thank you to the police officers that put their lives on the line for our safety day in and day out.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.