Chicago’s Summer of Joy officially ended with the Labor Day weekend, but the gangs continue to ply their trade with impunity and indifference to the police, innocent lives and the rule of law. Last week, in front of six Chicago Police squad cars, someone opened up on another group of people adjacent to the production set of the Chicago Fire TV show. Thankfully, no one was hit.
Yesterday, the production experienced another instance of gunfire on the Chicago Fire set. This time, however, someone took a round to the head. The Chicago Fire cast and most of the show’s crew weren’t present for this latest bout of street gangs shooting it out among one another. They were more than a little reticent about returning to the location where they narrowly missed becoming errant round backstops.
Just a reminder — those Chicago Fire and Chicago PD actors aren’t real cops, firefighters and paramedics. The PD actors aren’t carrying real guns and probably aren’t even wearing real body armor which is hot and uncomfortable in Chicago’s hot and humid weather.
The production companies do have real cops working security on the sets, though. Last week’s gunfire broke out despite six CPD squad cars parked in front of the set.
Unlike TV car chases, real life Chicago PD officers are prohibited from pursuing suspect vehicles, so they didn’t go after anyone in the aftermath of either incident. This most recent shooting resulted in one of the vehicles involved speeding away from the scene with a 40-year-old male with a head wound.
From CWB Chicago . . .
For the second time in less than a week, shots were fired Monday afternoon across from a West Side funeral home where the Chicago Fire TV series has been filming. Unlike last week, no cast members were on set during Monday’s incident, a source said. And, also unlike last week, the bullets hit someone this time.
A Chicago police officer assigned to secure the movie set outside A.A. Rayner and Son’s Funeral Home, 5911 West Madison, radioed “shots fired at the Chicago Fire production scene” at 3:28 p.m. Monday. Officers found two bullet-riddled cars directly across the street from the funeral home on Madison Street.
Another vehicle sped away from the scene carrying the victim inside. A 40-year-old man inside the car was in critical condition at Loyola Hospital with a gunshot wound to the head, according to Chicago police.
Back at the shooting scene, cops found nine shell casings in the street outside of 5920 West Madison. No arrests have been made.
According to a film industry source, Chicago Fire was supposed to return to the funeral home for production on Monday, but the decision was made not to due to last week’s incident. According to the source, crew members went to the funeral home on Monday to remove equipment used to make buildings appear to be on fire for the TV show.
Last Wednesday, a gunman opened fire kitty-corner from where the hit NBC show was filming. No injuries were reported that time, but a film industry source said the “full cast” was on-scene, and three cameras were rolling when the gunfire broke out around 1:55 p.m.
A CPD spokesperson confirmed that a man “shot at a group of people standing in the 5900 block of West Madison” and fled in a dark SUV.
“It happened mid-take,” a film industry source said. “No one was injured on set, but a bullet did ricochet off some equipment.”
Six squad cars and not one pursued the shooter last week. This week, another shooting, one man hit and…no pursuit. Did we mention no arrests? Okay, no arrests.
Maybe instead of using that laughable “Summer of Joy” slogan (how did the “Summer of Love” work out for Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkin?) for the bloody summer in America’s largest open-air shooting range, Mayor Lori Lightfoot should have called it “Murderpalooza.” Or maybe the “Taste of Homicide Festival” where victims’ families sample delicious Emergency Room cafeteria food along with tasty fare from the food trucks parked at crime scenes.
By the way, Chicago stands at 524 homicides for the year as of this writing (thank you HeyJackass.com). That’s in addition to 2215 people shot and wounded, including the guy next to the Chicago Fire set yesterday.
Given the danger of filming in the Windy City, what other city might the two TV shows’ production crews use to film that could pass for Chicago?