Nearly a week after two women were injured by gunfire while attending a White Sox game, team Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf dismissed the notion that someone could get a firearm into Guaranteed Rate Field.
Addressing the media Thursday about team issues, Reinsdorf took up the shooting mystery that has perplexed Chicago for days. He said he has spoken to police leaders and they told him they have not ruled out that gunshots fired outside the stadium landed in the bleachers and injured the women.
“They’re still investigating. I don’t want to get into specific facts while they’re investigating but have really done a deep dive into this and I don’t see any way in the world that the shots could have come from inside the ballpark,” Reinsdorf said. “Let’s let the police continue with their investigation. At this point all the superintendent is prepared to say is they have not ruled out that they came from outside the ballpark.”
Police were expected to issue a statement Thursday evening backing up that statement, though interim Chicago police Superintendent Fred Waller earlier this week said investigators believed it is most likely the gunfire originated inside the ballpark.
Source have said that among the leading possibilities being explored was that one of the women was able to bring a pistol through a security checkpoint. Investigators have been examining security footage as they attempt to piece together what took place.
That woman’s lawyer this week issued a statement disputing any notion that his client brought a weapon into the park and accidentally fired it.
The woman was treated for leg injuries, and a second suffered a graze wound.
“She denies bringing a firearm into the stadium and further denies having anything to do with the discharge of a firearm at the stadium,” John Malm, an attorney for the first woman, said in a statement. “We will continue investigating this matter further to pursue justice on behalf of our client who sustained serious personal injuries as a result of this shooting.”
The shooting occurred during the fourth inning of Friday’s game that the White Sox ultimately lost to the Oakland A’s 12-4. While the game continued — despite a request to stop from the Chicago Police Department — a planned postgame concert featuring Vanilla Ice was canceled.
