“The fact that nothing has been said is a bit concerning,” Sox fan Madelyn Spagnola said outside the stadium Saturday. “People should feel safe when they go to a ballpark. [But] I’ll risk it for the bobblehead.”
A night after two people were wounded by gunfire inside Guaranteed Rate Field as the White Sox faced the Oakland Athletics, fans were left with many questions about the shooting — but had few answers.
At some point amid the fourth inning during Friday’s match, a 42-year-old woman was struck in the leg by a bullet and was taken to University of Chicago Medical center for treatment. A 26-year-old woman at the game was also grazed in the abdomen but declined medical attention, according to police.
Where the bullets came from — whether inside the stadium or from somewhere outside — remained a mystery nearly a day later as fans gathered for the final game in the series Saturday evening.
Sox officials said the shooting didn’t stem from any altercation inside the stadium, which they say stadium footage backs up. A statement released by the team said the origin of the projectiles was still under investigation.
Police have said there wasn’t an “active threat” to the nearly 22,000 attendees of the game at any point, but have revealed little about their investigation and declined Saturday to answer questions about the shooting.
With the dearth of information, rumors circulated among fans ahead of Saturday night’s re-match between the Sox and A’s about what had happened, including a rumor that an off-duty police officer had accidentally fired the round. Others speculated the shots had been fired in the air outside the stadium and later rained down on the two unfortunate victims.
