CHICAGO — A bar fight in Portage Park on the Northwest Side turned fatal early Sunday morning after gunfire broke out, leaving three people dead and one person in critical condition, Chicago police said.
The shooting occurred around 2:30 a.m. shortly after a brawl inside a bar near Central Avenue and School Street spilled out of the tavern and into the street, according to police.
The gunman fired multiple gunshots that struck four people before fleeing in a dark SUV, police Cmdr. Joseph Brennan told reporters Sunday morning.
A 50-year-old man was shot in the head and chest and was pronounced dead at the scene. A 26-year-old man and 24-year-old woman were transported with gunshot wounds to Mount Sinai Hospital, where they died, police said.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified the victims as Ricky Vera, 50, of an unknown address, Mario Pozuelos, 26, of Franklin Park, and Mercedes Tavares, 24, from Chicago Heights.
A 25-year-old woman who was shot in the head remains in critical condition. She was transported by the Chicago Fire Department to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, police said.
Brennan provided few details, saying the investigation remained active as detectives canvassed the area for surveillance footage and eyewitnesses. No one was in custody. Detectives from Area Five are investigating.
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