7 shot, 1 fatally, in mass shooting near Chicago PD headquarters

CHICAGO -- Seven people were shot, one of them fatally, in a mass shooting Tuesday night about two blocks from Chicago police headquarters on the city's South Side. Five of the wounded are women.

Investigators said it's possible two shooters opened fire on a large crowd gathered for a barbecue near East 37th Street and South Michigan Avenue in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood.

The victims were standing on the sidewalk just after 10:30 p.m. when a group of males walked up and fired shots from the corner of the block, police said. An earlier fight at a nearby park may have contributed to the violence, investigators said late Wednesday morning.

Alfred Mitchell Jr., 28, was shot in the back and pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, police and the Cook County medical examiner's office said. He lived in Chicago's Fuller Park neighborhood on the city's South Side.

Mitanette Cooper, Mitchell's friend, told ABC7 Eyewitness News he was not a bad person.

"He was very friendly, outgoing. You know, he laughed, we spoke about old times and everything. He wasn't a bad person. He was not out here doing anything that you could say, 'OK. Well, what he did caused this to happen,'" Cooper said.

A 21-year-old woman shot in the left knee, a 28-year-old woman shot in the left leg and a 45-year-old woman shot in the right buttock were all taken to Stroger Hospital, police said. A 46-year-old woman shot in the right leg and a 27-year-old woman shot in the left leg were taken to Mercy Hospital. All of their conditions were stabilized.

A seventh victim, a 30-year-old man, suffered gunshot wounds to the right leg and later showed up at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, police said. His condition was also stabilized.

Investigators said one of the male victims has a history with police and has been shot before. He was wounded in a shooting in 2011. Detectives are working to determine whether he was the intended target or if the shooting stemmed from an argument.

The investigation is ongoing. The 2nd District increased patrols in the area Wednesday. No one is in custody.

The shooting incident comes after Chicago police reported 74 homicides in the city during the month of July.

The Associated Press and Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.