Multiple Shooting

Is crime really down? Or just the perception of crime?

• At least four people were shot -- with two severely wounded -- tonight in the area of West 77th Street and South Loomis Boulevard in the Auburn Gresham community on the South Side.

  One of the victims, a man in his 30s, was shot in the chest and taken in serious-to-critical condition to Stroger Hospital, said Larry Langford, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department. He said that victim, however, was alert at the scene.

  Another victim, a man believed to be about 20, was taken to Loyola University Hospital in Maywood in serious-to-critical condition after being shot in the abdomen, Langford said.

Initial reports were up to nine people shot. Some may turn up later. But it's nights like this, on a warm March evening, that hint at a busier summer again. And multiple incidents like can throw off the whole statistical curve.