Chicago Shooting: At Least One Person Killed, Over 20 Injured

By Staff, Agencies

At least one person has been killed and 23 others have been injured in a mass shooting at an event on the suburbs of the US city of Chicago.

According to the US media, the Sunday shooting took place at a parking lot in the village of Willowbrook, located some 37 kilometers [23 miles] from Chicago.

At least two of the injured are in a critical condition and have been rushed to nearby hospitals along with others following the shooting.

"An unknown number of suspects fired multiple rounds from multiple weapons into the crowd," the police said in a statement.

The identity of the suspects as well as their motive is under investigation.

The victims were among hundreds of people, who were celebrating Juneteenth – a holiday that commemorates emancipation of enslaved African Americans – at a local parking lot.

"It was just chaos. There were sirens coming from like every direction. There were just hundreds of cop cars ... It was just a lot," said Nicole Kozney, an area resident.

"Out of nowhere, there was a major gunfight for like 30 seconds. I'd say, 60 plus rounds. You could tell it was two different groups of people shooting at each other," said witness Bartosz Majerczyk.

In addition to those shot, several victims were treated at area hospitals for injuries they suffered while attempting to flee the area, according to the sheriff's office.

Mass shootings are relatively a daily occurrence in the United States, which suffers from a gun violence epidemic.

The US is the only country with more civilian guns than the population – 120 guns for every one hundred Americans – as per the Small Arms Survey [SAS], a Swiss research project. 

According to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks shootings in the US, 647 mass shootings were recorded in 2022, killing 44,287 people.

The 2022 figure was slightly less than in 2021 when 692 mass shootings left 45,010 people dead across the country.