The shooting took place in a parking lot in Willowbrook, Illinois.
At least 23 people were injured, one of them fatally, when gunfire erupted early Sunday at a Juneteenth celebration in suburban Chicago, authorities said.
The shooting happened around 12:30 a.m. in a shopping center parking lot in Willowbrook, about 23 miles west of Chicago, according to the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators look at the scene of an overnight mass shooting at a shopping center in Willowbrook, Illinois, on June 18, 2023.
Matt Marton/AP
The gunfire erupted during a large gathering of several hundred people to commemorate Juneteenth, Battalion Chief Joe Ostrander of the Tri-State Fire Protection District told ABC station in Chicago. WLS-TV.
The victims were taken to several area hospitals with gunshot wounds, according to the sheriff’s office. One person was pronounced dead and at least two were in critical condition, Deputy Chief Eric Swanson of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office said at a news conference.
Investigators speak with a person at the scene of a mass shooting overnight at a shopping center in Willowbrook, Ill., June. 18, 2023.
Matt Marton/AP
No arrests have been announced.
The motive for the shooting is under investigation.
Investigators look at the scene of an overnight mass shooting at a shopping center in Willowbrook, Illinois, on June 18, 2023.
Matt Marton/AP
Sheriff’s deputies had been monitoring the annual Juneteenth celebration when they responded to a 911 call of a fight breaking out nearby, the sheriff’s department said. As deputies investigated the report of the fight, they heard gunshots and immediately returned to the Juneteenth celebration, authorities said.
“An unknown number of suspects fired multiple rounds from multiple weapons into the crowd,” police said in a statement.
In addition to the gunfire, several victims were treated at area hospitals for injuries they sustained while trying to flee the area, according to the sheriff’s office.
Detectives were reviewing security video and witness cellphone video Sunday afternoon in hopes of identifying the suspects, authorities said.
Witnesses described a panicked scene with people scattering in all directions, seeking cover from the barrage of gunfire.
“It was supposed to be like a Juneteenth celebration; we just started hearing the gunshots, so we just kind of dropped it until it stopped. They just kept going. After that, we literally scattered,” Markeshia Avery told WLS-TV.
