Mass Shooting at the Juneteenth Celebration in Illinois leaves 1 dead & 22 wounded

A mass shooting occurred at the Juneteenth celebration in Illinois early on Sunday morning, leaving one person dead and 22 others injured.

The shooting occurred at 12:30 am in a strip mall parking lot in Willowbrook, a suburban village about 23 miles west of Chicago, where a group of 200 teenagers and young adults had gathered for the Juneteenth celebration.

Juneteenth is an annual celebration commemorating the end of slavery for African Americans.

The police had been patrolling the area since the celebration began at 6 p.m. on Saturday. At 12:25 a.m., they moved away in response to a 911 call reporting a fight that had broken out nearby. At 12:30 a.m., they heard several gunshots and returned to the celebration site.

They discovered that several suspects had fired multiple rounds into the crowd using various weapons. Witnesses also recall hearing about 20 to 30 gunshots during the event. The authorities stated that the celebration had been peaceful until the shooting began.

The President and First Lady are thinking of those killed and injured in the shooting in Illinois last night. We have reached out to offer assistance to state and local leaders in the wake of this tragedy at a community Juneteenth celebration.

— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) June 18, 2023

In addition to the attendees, people attempting to flee the scene were also shot at. Markeshia Avery, who attended the celebration, said, “We dropped down. We dropped down until they stopped. They just kept going. After that, we scattered away and started trying to check on everybody we knew.”

The victims were quickly taken to different hospitals in the area. While one person was fatally shot, two others were in critical condition. Other injuries ranged from graze wounds to more serious gunshot wounds.

The authorities have yet to identify the number of suspects, their identities, or the motive behind the shooting. They are reviewing security footage in the area, examining witness’ cell phones, and conducting interviews with the victims and witnesses.