12 shot in Chicago street attack during Juneteenth celebration

A late-night celebration turned into a mass-casualty shooting on Chicago’s Far South Side when a red SUV pulled up beside a crowded street gathering and two people inside opened fire. Police said at least 12 people were struck just after 11 p.m. in the 200 block of West 95th Street, leaving two male victims in critical condition and sending a neighborhood party into panic.

The victims included eight men and four women, ranging in age from 17 to 47. One person suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh, and another man had unknown injuries but refused medical treatment. Chicago police said the wounded were taken to four hospitals, where one 32-year-old woman was being treated after being shot twice in the back and a 44-year-old man was recovering after four graze wounds. Both were listed in good condition. ABC7 Chicago later updated its tally to at least 13 hurt.

The shooting unfolded in Roseland, near South Princeton Avenue and West 95th Street in the Princeton Park and Washington Heights area, where local reporting said the crowd had gathered for Juneteenth celebrations. One responder captured the shock of the scene, saying, “It should be celebrating. Fireworks should not turn into gunshots.” The red SUV drove away after the attack, leaving police to work through a rapidly changing scene with wounded victims spread across multiple hospitals and a crowd that had been hit in seconds.

The attack also deepened concern over the wider pattern of gun violence that keeps cutting through Chicago neighborhoods and public gatherings. The Chicago Sun-Times reported five people were killed and 19 were hurt in weekend shootings across the city, with the Roseland attack among the most severe episodes. In a city where summer events are often meant to draw families into the street, the shooting left another reminder of how vulnerable neighborhood celebrations remain when gunfire arrives first.