Introduction to the Incident
She came to Chicago last week to attend a school choir conference and enjoy some pizza with her 11-year-old son, but as the Connecticut woman headed to the airport Monday she was bringing home some harrowing memories.
The night before, the 46-year-old woman was shot while walking with her son across the street from AMC River East 21 in Streeterville, a movie theater with a history of violence and loitering that has prompted calls for better public safety.
“It’s been shocking,” the woman told the Sun-Times in a brief interview as she headed to the airport Monday morning.
“I’m nervous. I’ve been telling myself the same story over and over,” said the woman, who asked not to be named.
Second Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins said the shooting was “further proof” of the need for an 8 p.m. curfew for minors downtown.
The Shooting Incident
The shooting happened as the woman and her son finished a pizza dinner and were walking back to their hotel about 8:10 p.m. Sunday, according to a police report.
As they waited for a light to change at Illinois Street and Columbus Drive, she “heard two gunshots and saw feathers flying around from her coat,” the police report said. She had been shot in her right forearm.
The woman and her son ran south across the river to Wacker and Columbus drives, where they asked a passerby for help. That person and her son called 911, and she was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition, police said.
She told the Sun-Times she arrived in Chicago with her son last Wednesday for a school choir conference.
The street in front of AMC River East 21 movie theater at 322 E. Illinois St in Streeterville, Monday, March 10, 2025. A woman visiting from Connecticut was shot while walking with her 11-year-old son Sunday night across the street from AMC River East 21.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
History of Loitering and Violence
Deborah Gershbein, president of the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, said the AMC theater has a history of loitering. She had coordinated with the Chicago Police Department about addressing the problem of children hanging out near the theater.
“Just when we think we have it under control with the help of 18th District officers, this happens,” Gershbein said. “We have kids — juveniles — hanging out there and causing problems. This has been going on for some time.”
Last June, the Sun-Times reported that the theater implemented a required guardian policy for any theatergoer under age 18.
AMC River East 21 movie theater at 322 E. Illinois St in Streeterville, Monday, March 10, 2025. A woman visiting from Connecticut was shot while walking with her 11-year-old son Sunday night across the street from AMC River East 21.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Call for Curfew and Safety Measures
Hopkins had called for an 8 p.m. curfew for minors downtown after a couple was attacked by a group of juveniles near Grand Avenue and McClurg Court, around the corner from the theater. Police made a show of force the following week, parking several squad cars outside the theater.
The City Council member repeated that call on Monday.
“It was in an area that was monitored by a strong police presence,” Hopkins said. “There were 50 teenagers running around causing trouble. They had gotten kicked out of the AMC lobby earlier. So, we knew they were there. We were monitoring them. Yet, this still happened. A fight broke out. One of ‘em took a gun out of his backpack and fired shots.”
Hopkins said the situation requires “a much more serious response” than Mayor Brandon Johnson has been “willing to give it so far” in dealing with young people gathering downtown.
“When these teen flash mobs form, the situation can turn in an instant — and that’s what happened here,” Hopkins said. “We need to be able to enforce that curfew. That means taking them into custody and holding them until they’re released to a responsible adult.”
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