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2mo ago

Chicago Opens Arson Probe After Austin Fire and Detains Lifeguard in Park Shooting

Authorities have opened separate probes into a suspected arson fire that killed four on Chicago’s West Side, with a lifeguard’s fatal discharge of a weapon at Douglass Park awaiting review.

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Chicago police investigate a shooting near Ogden Park in the Englewood neighborhood on June 25, 2025.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI – JUNE 26: Willson Contreras #40 of the St. Louis Cardinals has words with pitcher Daniel Palencia #48 of the Chicago Cubs as he takes his base after being hit by pitch during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium on June 26, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Four people, including a child, have died and three others were hospitalized after a fire tore through a three-story Austin apartment building on June 26, prompting a joint arson investigation by Chicago police and the ATF.
  • More than 20 residents were displaced and investigators are examining reports of gunshots and a domestic dispute preceding the blaze as crews sift through the wreckage for one unaccounted person.
  • Chicago police detained a 55-year-old Park District lifeguard after he shot two teens at Douglass Park, killing a 15-year-old and critically wounding a 14-year-old while claiming self-defense.
  • The Chicago Park District has closed the Douglass Park pool for review and mobilized crisis support for staff and community members as COPA and CPD investigate the incident.
  • Separate inquiries are underway into other recent shootings, including the stray-bullet killing of a 36-year-old woman in Brooklyn, a fatal accidental shooting of a 14-year-old in Cleveland and nonfatal attacks in Englewood and on Chicago’s South Side.