Four people were killed and at least 14 were injured in a mass shooting Wednesday night outside a River North bar, Chicago police said.
A car pulled up outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge, 311 W. Chicago Ave., and at least one person in the car opened fire on a crowd of people gathering around 11 p.m., police said. The restaurant is at the same location of a nightclub the city shut down over two years ago after a fatal shooting happened outside.
Wednesday night’s shooting happened at the tail end of an album release party for Chicago rapper Mello Buckzz, a witness who was inside the bar told the Sun-Times. Several shell casings were seen inside and outside the club.
A witness said he heard at least two dozen shots before several police officers rushed to the scene.
“I”m traumatized, I’m just shook,” another witness told the Sun-Times.
Police said victims were taken to several nearby hospitals, including Stroger Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Mt. Sinai Hospital and Illinois Masonic Hospital, police said.
A 24-year-old man was shot in the chest and a 25-year-old man was shot in head. Both were pronounced dead after they were taken to Stroger. Two women were also fatally shot in the chest and both were taken to Northwestern where they were pronounced.
Four women taken to Stroger and Mt. Sinai are in critical condition: a 31-year-old shot several times, a 24-year-old shot in the back, a 25-year-old shot in the leg and a 21-year-old shot in the face.
Ten others, ages 24 to 32, are in good condition at nearby hospitals, police said.
Another mass shooting happened at the same address in 2022, when a person was killed and three injured outside the former Hush Chicago nightclub. The city shut down the club after that shooting, deeming it a “public safety threat.”
The Artis Restaurant and Lounge opened in April, according to its social media pages.
