Overview

• A 38-year-old man was struck in the eye by a paintball around 10:48 p.m. on the 100 block of West Schiller and was admitted in good condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
• Approximately 30 minutes later near Orleans and Kinzie, a second pedestrian reported being shot in the back but suffered only minor injuries.
• Both drive-by incidents unfolded in Old Town and River North when occupants of passing vehicles targeted pedestrians with paintball guns.
• Chicago police describe paintball ‘shootings’ as recurring waves, including a notable spike during the pandemic when viral videos showed similar assaults.
• A 2019 attack on the Northwest Side left a woman with a serious eye injury, highlighting a history of random paintball violence in the city.