Paintball attacks reported in West Town, Wicker ParkSun-Times Wireon September 15, 2021 at 7:14 pm

A string of paintball attacks have been recently reported in the West Town and Wicker Park neighborhoods.

About 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, someone in a dark-colored SUV fired paintballs and struck several people standing on the sidewalk in the 1800 and 2000 blocks of West Division Street, Chicago police said.

About 4 a.m. Friday, a 45-year old woman was sleeping on a bench in the 100 block of North Western Avenue when someone in a car shot a paintball at her, police said.

She was struck in the face and taken to Stroger Hospital, where her condition was stabilized, police said.

No injuries were reported in Tuesday night’s incident, and there is no one in custody for either attack.

Last fall, 208 paintball shootings were reported across the city in September and October, according to police records — nearly five times the number of attacks reported between January and August of that year.

Police noted a particular uptick in attacks during the weeks leading up to Halloween.

“Using a paintball gun on an unsuspecting person is not only reckless, but also extremely dangerous,” Chicago police said in a statement last fall. “The projectiles can cause serious injuries and the shooter can be charged with a felony. CPD urges residents to stay vigilant of your surroundings and report any suspicious activity to police.”

Read More