A drive-by shooting in Chicago took the lives of four people and wounded more than a dozen others outside of a nightclub Wednesday night, the Washington Post reported. The gunman is still at large as police attempt to determine whether this was a gang-related incident or a targeted attack.
Officials are still trying to piece together the circumstances of the attack but have little information to go on. The shooting occurred outside of the Artis Restaurant and Lounge on the South Side of Chicago.
At the time, an album release party was happening for rapper Mello Buckzz. It's unclear whether there was any connection to the artist, and Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling shared that there were no suspects to date.
Snelling encouraged anyone with information to call the police department so they may track down any leads. He assured the public that the police would be out in "full force" during the Independence Day weekend.
The shooting occurred around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, just ahead of the Independence Day holiday. The whole ordeal only took seconds, but 18 people were shot after someone in a dark-colored vehicle sprayed bullets on a crowd congregating outside of the nightclub.
Police said the four who were killed included two women, aged 26 and 27, and two men, aged 24 and 25, but did not release their names. The other 14 victims who were shot, ranging in age from 21 to 31, were taken to various area hospitals for treatment.
"Currently, our detective division is working extremely hard to get to the bottom of this. We as a Chicago Police Department want to make sure that we bring justice to these families, but we also want to make sure that we take individuals with this violence and this character off the streets," Snelling said.
Following the shooting, police have ordered the establishment to close. This is not the first time such an incident occurred in the exact spot, as Bendand Reilly, alderman of the 42nd Ward, recalled.
Just a few years ago, a similar shooting happened in front of a now-defunct nightclub, Hush, which was located in the building Artis now occupies. That nightclub was closed, and Reilly imposed a moratorium on liquor licenses there to keep another club from opening with the same problems. Unfortunately, Artis found a workaround, which Reilly now blames for the incident.
Artis apparently got around the lack of liquor license by branding itself as a "BYOB" restaurant, which means customers could bring their own liquor. Reilly blames the establishment and said it was "dishonest with the City about their plans for the venue and have now contributed to a devastating act of violence, just weeks after opening as a BYOB 'restaurant,'" the alderman charged.
"Despite early assurances from the new restaurant owner that this venue would support local artisans, foster inclusivity, and serve as a hub for connection, creativity, and joy, the owners decided to turn over their venue to promote a new rap album release," Reilly said in a statement. The owners of the establishment released a statement about the incident but didn't take responsibility.
“Artis was created as a safe space. A space where Black, Brown, Queer, and allied communities could gather, be celebrated, and feel at home in River North. We’ve always led with that mission," the owners wrote on Thursday.
"And what happened last night disrupted it in the most painful way. Our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones," they added. Mello Buckzz also released a statement Thursday on social media, stating it made him "feel like everything is just weighing down on me ... . All i can do is talk to god and pray."
Chicago is a deadly place, and this act of violence took out several people who were just getting together for a good time. This is common in cities run by Democrats, but the blame continues to go around.
