At least 12 people were shot when an SUV pulled up and two occupants opened fire on a crowd in Chicago's South Side on Friday night, police said. The incident occurred on Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
Details of the Shooting
According to a Chicago police news release, the SUV drove away after the shooting, leaving two male victims in critical condition. One suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh. The eight men and four women wounded ranged in age from 17 to 47 and were taken to four different hospitals.
Another man sustained unknown injuries and refused medical treatment. Police initially responded to a call of one person shot and found a woman with two gunshot wounds to her back and a man with four graze wounds to his back, both in fair condition.
Detectives are investigating, and further information was not immediately available.
Broader Violence in Chicago
Police reported that at least 21 people have been shot in Chicago since Friday evening, resulting in four deaths. The mass shooting occurred on the same day former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama welcomed the first visitors to his presidential center on the South Side.
Community Reaction
Pastor Donovan Price, a local advocate for gun crime victims, told CBS News that seeing a mass shooting on Juneteenth is a tragedy. “It should be celebrating,” he said. “Fireworks should not turn into gunshots.”
