2 White Sox shooting victims were Chicago Public Schools teachers; other victim denies she had gun

In a statement from her attorneys the 42-year-old woman injured denied bringing a gun to Guaranteed Rate Field or shooting herself

Craig Wall Image
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Woman shot at White Sox game denies brinigng gun into ballpark
In a statement from her attorneys, the 42-year-old woman injured denied bringing a gun to Guaranteed Rate Field or shooting herself.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police held a high-level meeting Tuesday that lasted for several hours in which they reviewed all video, evidence and witness statements related to Friday night's shooting at a White Sox game, but appear no closer to solving the case.



While police said it is likely the shooting happened inside Guaranteed Rate Field, but they are now even reconsidering the possibility the bullets may have come from outside the stadium.



READ MORE: Shooting at White Sox game likely involved gun fired inside park



Video from the left field bleachers shows where a 42-year-old woman was sitting when she was shot in the right thigh, but ABC7 has now learned two other victims - a 26-year-old who was grazed in the stomach and her 31-year-old friend who nicked in the back - were sitting a few rows in front to the right.



Both were CPS teachers at Graham Elementary School, who were celebrating the end of the first week of classes with a group of 30 or so colleagues at the game.



The 31-year-old said she heard two popping sounds and felt a pinch in her back, and then a woman behind her screamed. When she looked down, she found a bullet.



CPD are still sticking with the acting superintendent's statement from Monday, in which he said they've all but ruled out the bullet coming from outside the stadium.



"We're still looking at every avenue. It's still under investigation, something from inside it could have happened that way, but we're looking at every avenue, exploring every lead and everything that we get, we're exploring that," said Interim CPD Supt. Fred Waller.



Law enforcement experts say the way the 42-year-old was wounded, in which the bullet struck her thigh and continued down into her calf, suggests a self-inflicted gunshot wound. But a police source told ABC7 the woman's clothing tested negative for gunshot residue.



An attorney hired by the woman denied that she brought the gun to the park or had anything to do with the shooting.



The attorney, who said the woman is a season tickets holder, released a statement saying, "Our client underwent emergency medical treatment for a gunshot wound she received while attending a baseball game. She denies bringing a firearm into the stadium and further denies having anything to do with the discharge of a firearm at the stadium. We have reviewed photographic evidence and x-rays of our client's injuries with firearms and medical experts who confirm the gunshot wound our client sustained was not self-inflicted and was not the result of her accidentally discharging a firearm. We will continue investigating this matter further to pursue justice on behalf of our client who sustained serious personal injuries as a result of this shooting."



White Sox sources said video from a gate screening area shows the woman did not set off the metal detectors; a person in front of her with a cell phone did.



It's also worth noting that Mayor Brandon Johnson and Supt. Waller took questions for barely three minutes Monday before Johnson ushered Waller away.



Chicago police issued a statement Tuesday afternoon saying their investigation is still active and ongoing, and that updates will be provided as they become available.



Late Tuesday night, multiple sources told the I-Team that the ATF is assisting CPD with ballistics as part of the investigation into the shooting.

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