Chicago’s North Avenue Beach shuts down after gunfire breaks out hours after opening

A Chicago beach was closed hours after it opened for the summer season when shots were fired during a large brawl on Friday, according to police.

The fight broke out among a group of 80 to 100 teenagers at North Avenue Beach around 1:30 p.m., police said.

During the fracas, someone pulled out a gun and fired a shot, Fox 32 reported.

Fortunately, no one was struck. A juvenile was taken into police custody. 

The weapon has not been recovered, cops said.

The beach was temporarily shut down as police investigated.

The shooting came just hours after Chicago’s 22 beaches along Lake Michigan opened to the public for Memorial Day weekend, known as the unofficial start of summer.

Last year, Chicago experienced its most violent Memorial Day weekend in five years, during which nine people were killed and at least 42 others wounded throughout the city, according to Fox 32.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced that the city has enacted a public safety plan ahead of the holiday weekend to avoid a repeat of last year, with stepped-up policing and the deployment of 30 peacekeepers from the Illinois Department of Human Services.