A drive-by shooting in Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood sent a dozen people to area hospitals overnight, touching off a major police investigation with no arrests made and no motive established. The attack unfolded quickly and without apparent warning, leaving behind a scene that investigators are still working to piece together. What began as a single call about a person shot rapidly expanded into one of the city’s more significant mass casualty events in recent memory. Twelve people ranging in age from 17 to 47 were struck, with victims dispersed across multiple hospitals based on the severity of their wounds.
Chicago police say a red SUV drove up to a large group of people in the 200 block of West 95th Street just after 11 p.m., and two people inside started shooting into the crowd. Officers who responded to the initial call found two victims at the scene, but the full scope of the incident only became clear as additional victims began arriving at nearby hospitals on their own.
A preliminary investigation indicates a large crowd had gathered in the area when the vehicle pulled up and the occupants opened fire. The two shooters fled before officers arrived.
Video from the scene shows at least 100 evidence markers, multiple shattered car windows, and what appears to be a bus stop hit by gunfire with glass scattered on the sidewalk. That level of physical evidence tells its own story about the volume of rounds fired into a public space.
Eleven of the 12 victims were hospitalized in good condition, while a 26-year-old man was listed in critical condition. A community that had been marking Juneteenth found itself processing something far grimmer before midnight.
The shootings occurred on Juneteenth, the holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in the United States, on the same day former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama welcomed the first visitors to his presidential center, also located on the city’s South Side.
The contrast was not lost on local advocates. Pastor Donovan Price, a vocal voice on gun violence in Chicago, told CBS News the timing made an already painful event feel worse, saying the community should have been celebrating.
What Officers Found at the Scene
Arriving officers found a 32-year-old woman who was shot twice in her back and a 44-year-old man with four graze wounds to his back. The woman was taken to Christ Hospital in good condition, and the man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
From there, the scope widened considerably as self-transported victims began turning up at Trinity Hospital and the University of Chicago Medical Center throughout the night.
A 17-Year-Old Among the Victims
A 17-year-old boy was shot in the thigh and hospitalized. A 22-year-old woman was also shot in the thigh and self-transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
The age range of those struck, spanning three decades, reflects how indiscriminate the gunfire was.
No Motive, No Arrests
As of Saturday morning, Chicago police had not identified a motive or named any suspects. Area Two detectives are leading the investigation.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact CPD Area Two Detectives at 312-747-8273 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDtip.com.
A Violent Start to the Weekend
Police reported at least 21 people shot across the city since Friday evening, resulting in four deaths. The Roseland mass shooting was the single largest incident among them.
Chicago’s South Side has been the focal point of the city’s ongoing struggle with gun violence, and Friday night added another grim chapter to a problem that community leaders, law enforcement, and residents have long argued demands more than piecemeal responses.