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MULTIPLE PEOPLE SHOT NEAR WASHINGTON PARK... CHICAGO, WE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF THIS SENSELESS BULLSHIT 💔

Aug 30
5 min read
ALT TEXT: 730 BOOM Radio breaking news graphic depicting Washington Park in Chicago at night with multiple police vehicles, flashing emergency lights and police tape near the park entrance. Centered headline reads, “Multiple People Shot Near Washington Park.” The 730 BOOM Radio logo is centered at the bottom.


🚨 UPDATE: 1 DEAD, 9 WOUNDED IN WASHINGTON PARK MASS SHOOTING

CHICAGO: What started as a large gathering near Washington Park ended with 10 people shot, one of them killed, late Saturday night.

Chicago police say the shooting happened at approximately 11:37 p.m. Saturday, August 29, in the 5400 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, along the eastern side of Washington Park.

According to police, officers were already in the area attempting to disperse a large gathering when gunfire erupted.

Ten people were struck by gunfire. A 35-year-old man was killed, while nine other men and women, ranging in age from their 20s through their 40s, were wounded. Six of the surviving victims were initially reported in good condition, while conditions for three others were not immediately available.

No Chicago police officers were shot.

WHAT WAS GOING ON AT THE PARK?

Additional reporting is beginning to provide more context about what was happening before the shooting.

CWB Chicago reports that police were monitoring what was described as a planned gathering or picnic in the area. Police radio traffic reportedly captured officers dealing with the large crowd before sustained gunfire broke out.

Investigators reportedly recovered multiple shell casings, including rifle rounds, suggesting more than one type of firearm may have been used.

A man was reportedly detained at the scene and a firearm was recovered. However, authorities have not publicly established that the person was responsible for the mass shooting.

And that's an important distinction.

As of the latest reports, Chicago police have not announced an arrest of anyone accused of carrying out the shooting. The investigation remains ongoing.

EARLY REPORTING CAUSED SOME CONFUSION

There were conflicting numbers circulating immediately after the shooting, which is common during a large and chaotic crime scene.

One CBS Chicago headline reported one person dead and 13 wounded, while other information within the report differed. Multiple outlets, including NBC Chicago, ABC7 and the Chicago Sun-Times, have reported the police count as 10 people shot total: one killed and nine wounded.

Until Chicago police issue another official update, 1 dead and 9 wounded is the number we're using.

AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE SICK AND TIRED OF.

Ten human beings getting shot in one incident isn't just another statistic to scroll past.

Somebody lost their life. Nine other people were shot. Their families received phone calls nobody ever wants to receive.

We've said it before and we'll keep saying it: hurt people hurt people.

Something is deeply wrong when disagreements, anger, disrespect or whatever happened before those shots were fired can turn into bullets flying through a crowd.

People need love. People need guidance. People need somebody willing to intervene before anger turns into a funeral.

Because once that trigger is pulled, there ain't no rewind button.

Whatever happened in Washington Park Saturday night, 10 people's lives and countless families were changed in seconds.

Chicago deserves better than this.

730 BOOM Radio will continue following the investigation as police work to determine who fired the shots, what led to the shooting and whether additional arrests are made.

If you have information about the shooting, contact Chicago police or submit an anonymous tip to CPD's tip line.

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But before this becomes another headline that we scroll past tomorrow, can we talk about what the hell is happening to us?

Because we are sick and tired of this senseless bullshit.

Not just the shootings. Not just the guns.

The hurt. The anger. The complete disregard for another human life.

HURT PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE

Somewhere along the way, too many people are walking around carrying pain they never learned how to deal with.

Pain from childhood.

Pain from rejection.

Pain from poverty.

Pain from losing people.

Pain from never feeling safe.

Pain from feeling like nobody gives a damn whether they live or die.

And eventually, untreated hurt can become anger. Anger can become rage. And sometimes that rage gets handed a gun.

That does not excuse violence.

But if all we ever do is talk about the bullet after somebody pulls the trigger, we're going to keep having the same damn conversation.

We have to start talking about what happened to the person before they ever picked up the gun.

THESE PEOPLE AREN'T GETTING ENOUGH LOVE

And some people are going to roll their eyes when you say love, because it sounds too simple for something this complicated.

But love ain't weak.

Love is raising children who know they're valuable.

Love is teaching somebody how to handle anger without destroying somebody else.

Love is checking on the person who's suddenly withdrawn.

Love is telling our boys it's okay to cry before all that pain turns into something else.

Love is accountability too. Loving somebody doesn't mean allowing them to do whatever the hell they want. Sometimes love means grabbing somebody and saying, “Nah. You ain't doing this. Give me the gun. Come sit your ass down and talk to me.”

Because when you're loved right, you learn how to love right.

And when somebody has spent a lifetime being hurt, neglected, abandoned or traumatized, that hurt doesn't magically disappear because they turned 18.

Hurt people hurt people.

Somebody has to interrupt that cycle.

WE CANNOT KEEP NORMALIZING THIS

Eight people being shot should never become “just another weekend in Chicago.”

There is nothing normal about families sitting in emergency rooms wondering whether somebody they love is coming home.

There is nothing normal about children learning what gunshots sound like before they learn multiplication.

There is nothing normal about somebody getting angry and deciding another person's life is worth less than whatever they're angry about.

This shit is not normal. And we need to stop acting like it is.

We need consequences for people who commit violence.

But we also need intervention before somebody becomes the person we're eventually sentencing.

Mental-health resources. Mentors. Parents. Teachers. Coaches. Churches. Community organizations. Friends. Family.

Somebody has to reach these people while they're still reachable.

💔 730 BOOM RADIO

As authorities continue investigating the Washington Park shooting, our thoughts are with every victim, every family member waiting for answers and everyone who witnessed another act of violence they will now have to carry with them.

Chicago deserves better.

Our children deserve better.

And somewhere underneath all this anger, somebody is hurting.

We have to start healing people before hurt turns into hate, hate turns into rage, and rage turns into another damn headline.

LOVE YOUR PEOPLE. CHECK ON YOUR PEOPLE. LISTEN TO YOUR PEOPLE.

Because when you're loved right, you learn to love right.

And we are sick and tired of burying people who should still be here. 💔

IT HITS DIFFERENT. EVERY TIME. BOOM! 💥

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