Updated: Media Can't Get It Right On Chicago's Uptown Shooting on June 28

JJ Peppers in Uptown, scene of gunfire on July 28, 2013
(Screenshot from WGN TV video)

June 29, 2013 - UPDATED, 2:00 PM - Chicago media can't seem to get their story straight on yesterday's shooting in Chicago's north side Uptown neighborhood. Is the number of victims five, four or six? Were they all male or were some female? How many people were actually hit by gunfire in Uptown last night? 

The shooting happened by a JJ Peppers store in a strip mall around 7:15 PM on Friday at the intersection of N. Sheridan Road and W. Lawrence Avenue. Initial news reports said that five men were hit by gunfire, four critically wounded and one seriously.

Google search for "shooting uptown peppers wgn"

On WGN TV's 9PM newscast on Friday, however, Gaynor Hall reported from the shooting scene that police had amended the number of wounded down to four, all which were in "good condition."

WGN has since removed Hall's report and edited their story to reflect what other local media are saying: SIX people were wounded, two of which were female.

A Google search for "shooting uptown peppers wgn" finds a link to WGN's story, originally headlined "Four people shot outside Uptown strip mall."

That story today, however, has the edited headline "Six people shot outside Uptown strip mall," but still has this URL: http://wgntv.com/2013/06/29/five-people-shot-on-uptown-street-corner/

NBC5's story, screenshot at 3:00 PM, June 29, 2013

Laughably, NBC5 has a story headline that is non-committal: "Several Wounded in Uptown Shooting." NBC updated their story at 10:30 last night to say that "A police department spokesman said four were injured, adding that they were four males of unknown ages."

That's what Gaynor Hall reported for WGN. NBC has apparently not felt it necessary to update their story.

Some of the blame for this confusion should probably go the the Chicago Police Department for giving out bad information to the media.

Previous Reports, Friday, June 28:

UPDATED 10: 30 PM - Four  men were hit by gunfire this evening around 7:15 PM in the Uptown neighborhood on the city's north side.

NBC5 tweet from June 28, 2013: "5 wounded, 4 critically"

WGN TV is reporting late tonight that the Chicago Police say the number of those hit was actually four. WGN quotes police officials as saying that all four victims are in good condition at Illinois Masonic and St. Francis hospitals.

The shooting happened in front of the JJ Peppers convenience store in a strip mall at the intersection of N. Sheridan Road and W. Lawrence Avenue. It's a particularly rough part of a very rough neighborhood, just  one block east of the Aragon Entertainment Center.Two people were shot at the same location on June 10. The shooting happened even as a "positive loitering" event was taking place across the street (see below).

NBC5 Chicago reported that "Shots rang out at about 7:15 p.m. in the 4800 block of North Sheridan Road, a fire department spokesperson said. Five ambulances responded to the scene. Four people were critically wounded and one person was in serious condition, the spokesperson said." NBC notes that the story is still developing.

ABC7 Chicago said that all victims are male. "Four people were critically wounded and one person was in serious condition, Fire Media Affairs said. Two males were taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and two males were taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, police News Affairs Officer Daniel O'Brien said."

Uptown Update had a first-hand report, published at 8:50 PM. Their lead story until then, ironically, was about another useless "positive loitering" event from 7-8 pm, at the southwest corner of Lawrence and Sheridan, just inches from a shooting that "positive loitering" is supposed to prevent. The shooting, in front of JJ Peppers, is at the northwest corner of the intersection.

Also See: Uptown's Positive Loiterers: Useless Chicago News Bench