Under new guidance issued by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, unaccompanied minors will be banned from Millennium Park on weekend evenings after a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed near “The Bean” on Saturday evening.
The new rule will go into effect immediately, and will ban unaccompanied minors under the age of 18 from visiting the park after 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
“This new policy will be strictly enforced and violations will be dealt with swiftly,” Lightfoot said in a statement.
Lightfoot also said that her administration will partner with Chicago Public Schools to “fully explain this new policy to students.”
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“As a city, we must ensure that our young people have safe spaces to congregate and that in those spaces they are peaceful and actually safe,” she said.
The move comes after a shooting left a 16-year-old dead during a massive gathering in Millennium Park on Saturday night.
According to police, the teen was shot in the chest near “The Cloud Gate” statue, and was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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Two persons-of-interest were taken into custody, and two weapons were recovered at the scene.
Police worked to clear the park after the shooting, but skirmishes occurred in numerous other locations throughout the Loop. Two more people were shot in the 300 block of South State Street at approximately 11:41 p.m. when two boys fired into a group of people.
One of the victims was shot in the neck and chest, and was taken to an area hospital critical condition, while an 18-year-old was in fair condition after being shot in the left hand.
Both of the shooters were taken into custody, according to police.
In all, 26 minors were arrested, along with four adults in downtown. There were five arrests related to weapons, and seven guns were recovered.
A pair of Chicago police officers were also injured, according to authorities.
Lightfoot says that she is calling on Chicago police to work with federal law enforcement to accelerate gun traces on guns found in the possession of minors, and says that the city will file criminal charges against adults who help children to obtain firearms.
“I am calling on all parents, guardians and caring adults to step up at this moment and do whatever it takes to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again,” she said.
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown is expected to address media on Sunday afternoon about updated public safety protocols.
