Juneteenth Celebration In Chicago Becomes Mass Shooting Of 20 Victims

In an unnecessary Juneteenth tragedy, 20 people so far have been victims of a mass shooting that occurred June 18, early Sunday morning, during a celebration of the federal holiday, Chicago suburb’s.

At approximately 12:30 a.m., the parking lot of a strip mall in Willowbrook, an area a little over 20 miles west of Chicago, was overtaken by gunfire, ABC News reported. A sizable crowd of people were still present at the Juneteenth festivities honoring the emancipation of enslaved people when the shooting erupted.

According to local news WLS-TV, one victim was fatally shot while two others remain in critical condition.

Witnesses shared their accounts of what took place in the moments leading up to and during the shootout, with many stating it was a race to safety.

“It was supposed to be like a Juneteenth celebration; we just started hearing shooting, so we dropped down until they stopped, said onlooker Markeshia Avery.

“They just kept going. After that, we literally scattered away.”

Police investigated the area until mid-morning, with debris from the chaos still on the ground of the site.

The status of the victims remains varied, with some being transported via ambulances to the surrounding hospitals while others walked in to receive care for what was considered to be “graze wounds,” as DuPage County Deputy Sheriff Eric Swanson told news outlets.

Joe Ostrander, battalion chief of the Tri-State Fire Protection District, elaborated further on the help arriving to the scene, as detailed by CNN. With a grave amount of attendees shot, 12 ambulances responded to the call for medical attention.

Swanson also confirmed that the investigation is still active, with police tape still blocking off the scene as they continue to survey the premises as needed.

What was supposed to be a commemoration of Juneteenth turned into another instance of gun violence that plagues America.

The motive for the shooting, and who the perpetrator is, is still unknown.