A gunman in Chicago opened fire in front of a church, killing one person, as we read in one report:
As many as 40 shots were fired Sunday when a gunman using an assault weapon opened fire outside a church in Chicago, killing at least one person, police said.
The shooting happened just before 2 p.m. Sunday in the 1700 block of West 46th Street in the city’s Back of the Yards neighborhood, according to authorities.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the victim was walking in front of Holy Cross Church when a gunman jumped out of a car and shot him with an assault weapon, unleashing at least 40 rounds.
The victim, identified by family friends and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office as 21-year-old Salvador Suarez, was killed and pronounced dead at the scene.
“He had just called and asked me to make spaghetti, his favorite, and 20 minutes later, he’s gone,” said close family friend Sharon Bolsega.
The shooting occurred at the intersection of South Hermitage Avenue and West 46th Street, where both Holy Cross Immaculate Heart of Mary Church and William Seward Communication Arts Academy are located.
In a statement Monday, Archbishop Blase Cupich said Suarez was killed about 20 feet from the doors of Holy Cross Church as a 1 p.m. mass was being held. He added that Suarez “was killed with a high-powered semi-automatic assault rifle—not unlike the weapon of war used to murder 49 people in Orlando.