CHICAGO (AP) — At least 12 people were injured by gunfire in a crowd on a Chicago street after an SUV pulled up and two individuals inside began shooting, according to police reports. The incident occurred late Friday in the South Side neighborhood, where the SUV fled the scene, leaving two males in critical condition, one with a gunshot wound to the thigh.
The group of victims, consisting of eight men and four women aged between 17 and 47, were treated at four different hospitals. Additionally, another man sustained unspecified injuries but declined medical assistance.
Police initially responded to reports of a single shooting victim and discovered a woman with two gunshot wounds to her back and a man with four graze wounds to his back; both were reported to be in fair condition.
Detectives are currently investigating the incident. Police also reported that at least 21 individuals were shot in the city since Friday evening, resulting in four fatalities.
The shootings coincided with Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. Earlier that day, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed the first visitors to his presidential center located on the South Side.
Pastor Donovan Price, a local advocate for gun crime victims, expressed his concern over the shooting occurring on a day meant for celebration, stating, "Fireworks should not turn into gunshots."