Chicago police said two people fired from a red SUV into a crowd on the city’s far South Side late June 19, injuring at least 12 people, including two listed in critical condition. No deaths were reported, and no arrests have been made as detectives continued
Late June 19. just after 11 p.m. Chicago officers responded to a report of a person shot on the city’s far South Side. By the time the first responders arrived. the scene had already expanded into something far worse: police said two people fired into a crowd and left at least 12 people with gunshot wounds.
In a police news release, investigators said a red SUV pulled up alongside a large group on the far South Side. Two people inside the SUV began firing shots toward the crowd before fleeing the area, police said.
Officers initially found a 32-year-old woman with two gunshot wounds on her back and a 44-year-old man with four graze wounds to his back. Both were transported to local hospitals in good condition, police said. In total, police said at least 12 people—ages ranging from 17 to 47—had gunshot wounds. Most transported themselves to local hospitals.
Two of the injured were listed in critical condition: a 17-year-old boy and a 26-year-old man. There have been no deaths reported, police said. In a later update, police added that a 13th person refused medical treatment after sustaining unknown injuries.
Detectives were still investigating the shooting on June 20, and no arrests had been made. No further details were available as officers worked to piece together what led up to the attack and how the SUV and its occupants vanished afterward.
The timing landed on a weekend loaded with public events. On June 19. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson encouraged people to make safety a priority on Juneteenth. the national holiday commemorating the end of American slavery. and Father’s Day over the holiday weekend. An email to the mayor’s office was not immediately returned.
Earlier in the day, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed visitors to the public opening of the Obama Presidential Center, also located on Chicago’s South Side. The center is less than 5 miles from the scene of the mass shooting.
What police reported so far leaves a sharp. unresolved question hanging over the city’s far South Side: how a drive-by attack—described as two people firing from a red SUV before fleeing—turned a public crowd into a mass casualty scene. with no deaths reported but critical injuries and hours of investigation still ahead.
Chicago South Side mass shooting red SUV gunshot wounds Juneteenth Father’s Day police investigation