Mass shooting leaves 1 dead and 19 others injured during Juneteenth celebration in Illinois
One person is dead and at least 19 others were injured when a mass shooting broke out at a Juneteenth celebration in Willowbrook, Illinois early Sunday (June 18) morning. Shots rang out around 12:30 a.m. in a shopping center parking lot where a large crowd was gathered on the outskirts of Chicago.
Twelve ambulances responded to the scene, where some victims suffered from minor graze wounds and others sustained serious injuries. According to CNN, at least two people have been listed in critical condition. Eric Swanson, deputy chief of DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, told the media, “The motive behind this incident is unclear … We transported numerous victims from the scene. Others just walked into area hospitals.”
The Gun Violence Archive reported that the overnight mass shooting is one of 310 that have taken place this year. “This shooting shows that even states with strong gun laws like Illinois are not immune from gun violence due to our incredibly weak federal laws and weak laws in neighboring states,” said Kris Brown, president of the national gun violence prevention organization Brady, in a statement obtained by CNN.
Witnesses who spoke with NBC 5, a Chicago news affiliate, recalled the horrific moments when their celebration turned into a deadly scene. “We were all just out, and next thing you know, shots just [started] going off. Everybody ran, and it was chaos,” said Craig Lottie. Witness Marqeisha Avery told the outlet, “As we were getting ready to go, we just started to hear shooting come from behind us. So we dropped down.”
Juneteenth became a federal holiday after President Joe Biden signed a bill commemorating the end of slavery in America. It is observed on June 19. “Great nations don’t ignore their most painful moments, they embrace them,” said Biden at the signing on June 17, 2021. It is the first federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in 1983.
View the latest report below.
Trending Stories
