Gunfire Halts 'Justified' Filming One Day After 'Law & Order' Shooting

Production of the sequel to the hit show Justified was stopped in Chicago on Wednesday night when two cars exchanging gunfire broke through the set's barricades, according to a Friday report from Deadline.

The shooting marks the second time gun violence has affected a television set this week after a crew member of Law & Order: Organized Crime was killed Tuesday in New York City.

Deadline said the cast and crew of FX's Justified: City Primeval took cover during the incident and no one was injured, but shell casings were reportedly found on the set, located near Douglass Park, afterwards. No other information about the incident was immediately available.

"The Chicago Police Department is committed to ensuring members of the city's vibrant film and television community are able to do their jobs safely," the Chicago Police Department said in a statement in response to the incident. "We work in close coordination with the Chicago Film Office, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications to ensure production crews have the resources necessary to feel safe and secure while filming in the city's neighborhoods."

On Tuesday morning, Johnny Pizarro, who worked for a company hired by NBC to hold parking spaces for the production of Law & Order: Organized Crime was killed while enforcing parking restrictions in Brooklyn, New York. Pizarro was sitting in a car when an assailant opened the vehicle's door and fatally shot him in the head and neck, according to police.

The suspect is still at-large. A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams told The New York Times that law enforcement officers were working "diligently" to find the gunman and that "[n]o shooting is acceptable."

"We were terribly saddened and shocked to hear that one of our crew members was the victim of a crime early this morning and has died as a result," NBC and studio Universal Television said in a joint statement on Tuesday about Pizarro's death provided to Variety. "We are working with local law enforcement as they continue to investigate. Our hearts go out to his family and friends and we ask that you respect their privacy during this time."

Law & Order: Organized Crime films in New York City, as does the related programs Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) and the original Law & Order. Former SVU actor Christopher Meloni stars in Organized Crime.

Timothy Olyphant, who has appeared in Deadwood and The Mandalorian,is reprising his role as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens in the revamped Justified series. The original show ran from 2010 until 2015, and the eight-episode limited series Justified: City Primeval is said to take place seven years after the original show's ending.

Deadline reported that a source told the outlet that Olyphant shielded a crew member during Wednesday's gunfire, but that claim has not been confirmed.

Newsweek reached out to FX for comment.

Update 07/23/22 8:30 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from the Chicago Police Department.