ROGERS PARK — A string of shootings in the neighborhood is related to an ongoing gang conflict and fueled by "taunts and insults" on social media, Ald. Joe Moore said.
The 49th Ward alderman said in a statement Wednesday morning that police had increased patrols in the area where the shootings occurred.
Most recently, several cars were damaged by gunfire about 5 p.m. Tuesday in the 1200 block of West Columbia Avenue, including a Loyola University student's Nissan Pathfinder on the eve of her graduation.
Early Monday, more parked cars in the 1500 block of West Farwell Avenue were also damaged by gunfire, according to Moore. He said witnesses reported a dark-colored SUV driving off eastbound after the shooting.
No one was reported injured in those two incidents. But a little later Monday, at 8:10 a.m., a 17-year-old boy suffered a graze wound on his leg in the 1500 block of West North Shore Avenue.
Ben Woodard discusses the role social media plays in gang violence:
According to police, two separate vehicles were involved in the shooting and the incident was captured on surveillance video, Moore said.
"Police later stopped the vehicle, which contained the victim," Moore said. "The police identified the vehicle as stolen and arrested the occupants. The police are searching for the other vehicle and its occupants."
Moore said police informed him the incidents were related to an ongoing gang feud, fueled by taunts on social media.
Police have described gang rap videos and other online interactions among rival gang members in Rogers Park as "technological kerosene" in reference to the violence.
Moore said another shooting Sunday afternoon, in which a 14-year-old boy was shot in his hand, was not related to the gang conflict, according to police.
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