South loop

One Killed, One Wounded in South Loop Nightclub Shooting

The shooting took place after two men got into an argument about a woman, police say

One man was killed and an innocent bystander was wounded in a shooting in Riff Music Lounge in the South Loop early Saturday, police said.

At about 1:30 a.m., 36-year-old Michael Ricks was inside the nightclub in the 2200 block of South Michigan when he got into an argument with another man about a woman, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner's office.

The other man was escorted out of the club and later returned, pulled out a gun and opened fire, police said.

Ricks, of the 2300 block of South State, was shot in the abdomen and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office could not immediately confirm the fatality.

A 39-year-old man who was inside the club at the time but was not involved in the argument was also injured in the shooting, police said. He was shot in the abdomen and took himself to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

Riff Music Lounge opened last year, according to the nightclub's website, and police say there have been no other reports of trouble there. Nightclub managers have not provided a comment.

The shooting prompted a larger than normal police response as officers from the neighboring 18th District — which covers River North and Lincoln Park — assisted officers from the 1st District, police said.

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