Mass Shooting Outside Chicago Nightclub Leaves 4 Dead, 14 Injured
CHICAGO — A mass drive-by shooting outside a nightclub in the River North neighborhood late Wednesday night left four people dead and 14 others injured, Chicago police confirmed. Witnesses described scenes of panic and confusion, some of which were captured on cell phone video.
The shooting occurred around 11 p.m. in the 300 block of West Chicago Avenue, near Artis Restaurant and Lounge and a nearby Dunkin’ Donuts, whose front window was shattered by gunfire. The area is home to several nightlife venues, and witnesses reported hearing rapid gunfire and seeing a car speeding away from the scene.
“It was traumatizing. I’m just shook,” one woman told reporters.
Pastor Donovan Price, who was at the scene, described it as “absolute chaos.”
“There were people screaming, blood on the streets, people lying on the ground,” he said. “It was just horrific. More than I’ve ever seen.”
Cell phone footage obtained by WGN News showed the immediate aftermath of the shooting, as victims were tended to and police swarmed the area.
According to a nightclub employee, the venue had hosted an album release party for Chicago rapper Mello Buckzz, whose real name is Melanie Doyle. The event was ending and people were exiting the club when the shooting unfolded.
Roger Tanner, who was in a cab nearby, described the response as frantic.
“It was a chaotic scene up here last night,” Tanner said. “I saw police running toward an ambulance. One officer was carrying a young woman, trying to get her help. She was bleeding.”
Artis Restaurant and Lounge, which opened in April, released a statement Thursday morning:
“An act of violence took place near our restaurant last night, and it deeply shook us. Artis was founded to be a safe space — a space for Black, Brown, Queer, and allied communities to gather, be celebrated, and feel at home in River North. Last night’s events disrupted that mission in the most painful way.”
Authorities are continuing to investigate the shooting. No suspects have been publicly identified at this time.
