Mass Shootings Wound Eleven in Chicago Over Independence Day Weekend

CHICAGO — Eleven people were wounded in two mass shootings on the Southwest Side late Friday and early Saturday during the Fourth of July celebrations. The gunfire erupted just days after a separate shooting incident outside a River North restaurant.

At about 11:10 p.m. Friday, two men approached a group of people standing outside in the 4800 block of South Justine Street and opened fire, injuring seven individuals — four women and three men. According to police, four victims were taken to the University of Chicago Hospital, with two in critical condition: a 25-year-old woman shot in her buttock and a 42-year-old man shot in his calf. The other victims, a 25-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man, were in serious condition after being shot in their torso and left arm, respectively.

The remaining three victims — two women, aged 21 and 27, and a 21-year-old man — were transported to Mt. Sinai Hospital suffering serious injuries as well, police reported.

Less than three hours later, around 1:45 a.m. Saturday, four men sitting in a parked car near California Avenue and 27th Street were shot at by a dark SUV. Police were alerted after the men took themselves to Mt. Sinai Hospital. Three of them, aged 25, 26, and 32, sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were listed in critical condition. The fourth, a 33-year-old man, was shot in the leg and is in fair condition, according to police.

As of Saturday afternoon, no arrests had been made in either shooting, and detectives continue to investigate the incidents.

The violence followed a Wednesday night shooting that killed four people outside Artis Restaurant, where an up-and-coming drill rapper had hosted an event. Police Superintendent Larry Snelling stated this shooting was not random and suggested the venue was specifically targeted.

Friends and family honored victim Taylor Walker in a balloon release and vigil at Chicago Vocational High School on Thursday. Walker was one of the four killed in the earlier shooting.

Since the Fourth of July weekend began, at least 44 people have been shot in Chicago, six fatally. Last year’s holiday weekend similarly saw multiple incidents of gun violence.