Chicago police are trying to determine whether a gang dispute sparked a weekend shooting that left two dead and 13 others wounded at a “pop-up party” inside a Park Manor garage.
On Monday morning, police spokesman Tom Ahern said investigators are “looking to see if there’s some kind of a gang nexus” that led to the shooting early Sunday at the South Side Think Tank, 6798 S. South Chicago Ave.
“They’re still looking into motive and they’re still talking to the witnesses [and] they’re talking to the victims,” Ahern told the Sun-Times. “They’re just trying to piece together what could have possibly led up to this.”
But Ahern noted police are also trying to determine whether a “personal conflict” could have precipitated the violence — an acknowledgement that shows the investigation remains in its early phases.
On Sunday, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said the site of the mass shooting is a garage that houses a towing company and doubles as an event space for parties.
“There’s actually a bar set up inside, so at one point it may have been an old lounge that is obviously converted just for the pop-up party,” Brown said. “We don’t know what the celebration associated with this party was.”
Because so many potential witnesses and victims were there when shots rang out, Ahern said police are still “attempting to sort out who’s who and what their involvement was.” Over a day after the shooting, he added that investigators have yet to determine whether multiple gunmen opened fire at the makeshift nightclub, or whether there was an exchange of gunfire.
“There was a lot of confusion when the shots started happening,” he said.
Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th), whose South Side ward includes the Park Manor site, said she has never received a single complaint about what she thought was a “car lot/towing company.” It’s located “on a side of the ward where there are nothing but businesses with a freight train” running behind it, Taylor said.
“I was shocked because that’s not what that business is there for. Not a business that I’ve ever had any contact with. … There would really be nobody to complain because of what’s in front of it and what’s on the same side. So who would be there to complain in the evening time?” Taylor said.
“I don’t know if this was the first, the second or the third time it’s happened because nobody’s complained to me about it. My community calls me about things. This is a shock to me, as it is to the people in the community because there’s nothing but businesses over there.”
Taylor said she is praying for the two people who died as well as for the 13 partygoers who were injured. She demanded that the city hold the business owner accountable.
“They need to lose their business license and be held accountable to those families. We can’t do illegal stuff like that and then, when something happens, nobody is held accountable,” Taylor said.
“First of all, we’re still in COVID. So the thought that you’re having an event — I’m sure people weren’t social distanced. From the numbers that I’ve heard, there were a lot of people there. I’m prayerful for what should happen next. But I also hope that [the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection] and CPD does their job.”
Taylor said she learned of the shooting on Facebook around 5 a.m., saw some videos posted on social media and waited to hear from her local CPD district commander. What did the commander tell her?
“Basically, it was an illegal party. Somebody started shooting and a number of people got shot, was all he got,” Taylor said. “We were trying to figure who the business owner was. Not sure if they figured it out yet.”
A spokeswoman for Chicago’s Department of Buildings said it has no history of complaints for the building at 6798-6800 S. South Chicago Ave. The department did try to inspect the building at 6800 S. South Chicago Ave. in April 2018, but could not enter the property As a result, a violation notice was sent, requiring the building owner to contact the department to arrange for an inspection, which the building owner failed to do.
South Side Think Tank isn’t currently registered with the Illinois secretary of state’s office, though the company holds a business license with the city of Chicago. The company’s focus is business and management consulting, according to the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.
Jerome Riley is the only name listed in the company’s city records. He’s also listed in state records as the registered manager of Taboo Lounge LLC, which shared the same address as South Side Think Tank and was involuntarily dissolved last February.
A phone number for South Side Think Tank has been disconnected, and Riley couldn’t be reached for comment Sunday. The deed for the building is held by Stonedry LLC, which is located at 2035 W. Giddings St., according to records kept by the Cook County clerk’s office.
Contributing: Sophie Sherry
