A spate of overnight shootings that left multiple people wounded culminated in a chaotic scene Sunday morning at Stroger Hospital, where victims’ families and friends were prevented from entering the emergency room as the staff dealt with the influx of trauma patients.
Two people were killed and 28 others were wounded between midnight and 3 a.m. Sunday, according to Chicago police. Ten of them were taken to Stroger for treatment.
The Chicago Police Department announced Sunday morning that a press conference would be held around 1:30 p.m. to discuss the incidents.
Some media outlets reported that the hospital could be placed on lockdown due to the amount of trauma patients.
But spokespeople for the hospital and CPD rebuffed reports of a potential lockdown.
“Over the past 24 hours, Stroger’s trauma unit received an unusually high volume of patients,” said Caitlin Polochak, the hospital’s communications manager. “At no time did Stroger go on bypass or ‘lockdown’ its trauma unit.”
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“We are asking the families of trauma patients to limit visitation at this time to immediate family members only so staff may focus on patient care,” Polochak added.
