Chicago police are investigating after a man was shot multiple times while leaving a popular 24-hour diner in the South Loop overnight.
At approximately 2:58 a.m., a 42-year-old man was walking out of the White Palace Grill in the 1100 block of South Canal Street when an unknown man fired gunshots before fleeing the scene, police said. The victim was struck multiple times and was transported to a nearby hospital in fair condition, police added.
As of 5:30 a.m., the scene remained active with multiple officers canvassing and yellow police tape blocking off the area in front of the restaurant. Total Traffic reported Roosevelt Road between Clinton and Canal Streets was closed briefly as the investigation continued.
Witnesses said some people in town for the Democratic National Convention were inside the restaurant at the time of the shooting. Photos and video from the scene show several people wearing DNC lanyards standing on the sidewalk near the diner.
"All of a sudden we just heard gunshots and they were very close," Javier Mabrey, a witness and DNC attendee said. "Half the people in the restaurant were from the DNC."
Mabrey, a member of the Colorado General Assembly, was wearing a "Freedom from gun violence button" pinned onto his suit jacket as he spoke.
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"This is the reality that people face across this country," Mabrey said. "It's not just a Chicago problem. It's a Colorado problem, too. It's a Nebraska problem, it's a Washington state problem, it's an Oregon problem. This is an American problem. It's uniquely an American problem."
The restaurant is located approximately two miles away from McCormick Place, one of two Chicago venues where DNC events had been taking place.
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The shooting came hours after Vice President and Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris spoke at the United Center on the fourth and final night of the DNC in Chicago.
According to police, no one was in custody, and detectives were investigating.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
