CHICAGO (WLS) — White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday about the shooting incident at Guaranteed Rate Field.
It’s been six days since the incident that left two women wounded in the outfield bleachers. But, while the police investigation appears stalled, Reinsdorf offered an update and spoke about safety at the ballpark.
With so many questions still swirling around the incident during last Friday night’s game, Reinsdorf tried to calm any fears about safety at the ballpark.
“We have done a lot of investigating. We have gathered a lot of facts. I’m not going to release a lot of details, because I don’t want to influence a police decision. But, the fact is that based upon the information available to us, I see virtually no possibility that the gunshots came from within the ballpark,” Reinsdorf said.
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A 42-year-old woman was shot in her right leg in what at first appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot would. Another woman nearby was grazed in her stomach.
But, through her attorney, the first woman denied bringing a gun through security into the ballpark, and claimed experts told them the wounds were not consistent with the injuries being self-inflicted.
With no evidence to link her to the shooting, police are now reconsidering whether the shots came from outside the ballpark. One possibility is bullets that were fired from nearly a mile away and were picked up on ShotSpotter. The timing was right around when the women were struck by bullets.
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Reinsdorf spoke earlier with the police superintendent about the investigation.
“And, he authorized me to tell everybody that regardless of what has been said in the past by anybody, the police have not ruled out the possibility or the probability that the gunshots the other night came from outside the ballpark,” Reinsdorf said.
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On Thursday, newly-announced General Manager Chris Getz said safety for everyone at the ballpark is a top priority. But, he would not second-guess the decision to finish the game instead of evacuating the ballpark.
“There was clearly not an immediate threat to anyone. Obviously, there was a need to collect the information, and our security group and CPD worked closely together and operated the way that they did,” Getz said.
Reinsdorf emphasized that he believes it’s totally safe in the ballpark, and he does not think a gun has ever gotten past security saying he believes ultimately that will come out.
He also said he’s hopeful police will conclude their investigation soon.
