CHICAGO (WGN) — Four individuals lost their lives and 14 others sustained injuries in a mass drive-by shooting that occurred late Wednesday night near a Chicago nightclub, as reported by police.
The incident transpired at about 11 p.m. in the River North district, right outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge beside Dunkin’ Donuts. This area is home to multiple clubs and businesses, and eyewitnesses recount hearing a surge of gunfire followed by a vehicle speeding away.
“Traumatizing. I’m just shook,” one female witness said.
Donovan Price, a pastor, said the scene was “absolute chaos.”
“From the screams of people, to blood scattered on the roads, to victims lying on the ground,” he described. “There was a huge police presence. Just terrible. More than I’ve ever witnessed.”
A worker at the nightclub told Nexstar’s WGN that it was holding an album release party for Chicago rapper Mello Buckzz on Wednesday night. The club was closing when the shooting happened, so a large group of people were heading outside.
Police say a preliminary investigation indicates a dark-colored car drove past the nightclub minutes after 11 p.m., when an unknown person or multiple people took out one or more guns and opened fire into a crowd of people outside.
The car then immediately fled the scene, according to police, who say nobody is yet in custody.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Police Department Supt. Larry Snelling were scheduled to speak at a press conference at 11 a.m. Thursday.
The victims of the shooting were rushed to several different area hospitals, with witnesses telling WGN some police officers didn’t even wait for ambulances to get there and started driving victims to hospitals themselves.
“I heard a lot of gunfire, and then the next thing you know, there was a whole bunch of police officers driving by fast, (and) ambulances, fire and rescue,” one witness, named Deshaun, said.
According to police, at least 16 of the 18 victims ranged in age from 21 to 32. Five men and 13 women were shot.
A 24-year-old man, a 25-year-old man and two women were pronounced dead, police say. The specific ages of the two women killed have not yet been given.
Among the other 14 people shot, police say three were listed in critical condition, nine were listed in good condition, one was listed in fair condition and one was listed in stable condition.
Family and friends gathered outside Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Streeterville, Illinois, overnight, where some of the shooting victims were taken and two were pronounced dead. Family and friends told WGN that some of the victims transported themselves to the hospital, while others managed to find another way.
A woman named Arielle, who lives in the area, said she could tell something bad had happened just by looking at the face of someone who was at the scene.
“I was downstairs doing dishes when I heard this ruckus,” Arielle said. “The first face that came downstairs, when I saw that face, I literally grabbed the phone. … I know faces, I know energy. I could tell something was up. The minute I saw that face, I grabbed the phone. I’m the first one to call 911.”
