Chicago’s Fourth of July holiday was marred by a series of shootings that left at least five people dead and 36 others injured, according to police reports. The violence began Thursday evening and stretched through early Monday morning, touching neighborhoods across the city’s South and West Sides.
The first shooting was reported around 5 p.m. Thursday, when a 49-year-old man was shot in the 300 block of East Kensington Avenue. He drove himself to Roseland Hospital in serious condition. Hours later, another man, 40, was inside a car in the 300 block of East 117th Street when someone in another vehicle shot him in the thigh. He also self-transported to the hospital.
By 9 p.m., officers responded to multiple incidents. A 36-year-old man was shot several times on North Hamlin Avenue and taken to Stroger Hospital. In a separate attack, a 33-year-old man was wounded in the abdomen during an argument in the 11900 block of South Wallace Avenue.
Overnight Friday, the shootings escalated. A 47-year-old man was hit while riding a bicycle on West Cermak Road. Later, a 20-year-old man driving near South Harvard Avenue was grazed in the eye during an argument with occupants of two other vehicles.
Just after 2 a.m., a 52-year-old man was found unresponsive on West 62nd Place. Witnesses said two men approached him on foot and opened fire. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Less than four hours later, a 31-year-old man was shot in the neck while standing on a sidewalk on North Cicero Avenue and was hospitalized in critical condition.
Friday evening, another man was shot in the hand near South Justine Street, and a woman in North Springfield Avenue was shot in the foot while outside. Additional shootings were reported in South Yale Avenue and South Bishop Street, where victims suffered gunshot wounds to the thigh and chest, respectively.
One of the most severe attacks occurred around 11:11 p.m. Friday when two men walked up to a group standing outside in the 4800 block of South Justine Street and fired into the crowd. Seven people, ages 21 to 42, were hit by gunfire. Three were hospitalized in serious condition and four were listed as critical to serious. According to police, “multiple people were shot after offenders opened fire into the crowd.”
Less than an hour later, a 16-year-old girl was shot in the throat in the 1200 block of East 83rd Street. She was pronounced dead at Jackson Park Hospital. A man standing nearby was also shot in the thigh but survived.
Early Saturday, violence continued. Around midnight, a 37-year-old man was shot in the forearm while standing outside on South Ashland Avenue. Later that night, three men were critically injured when a dark SUV drove past them on South California Boulevard and someone fired into their parked car.
By Sunday morning, the shootings had reached nearly every corner of the city. A 41-year-old man was shot in the chest by a suspect on a motorbike on East 60th Street. Hours later, a 19-year-old man was shot multiple times in the chest and leg while inside a vehicle on South Brennan Avenue.
Authorities said the victims ranged in age from 16 to 52. Police Superintendent Larry Snelling called the shootings “a senseless display of violence,” adding that the department would increase patrols in high-risk areas.
In total, the shootings over the weekend were fewer than the same period in 2023, when 19 people were killed and 87 others were injured. However, city leaders said the toll was still too high. Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement that the violence “tears at the fabric of our neighborhoods.”
Many of the incidents remain under investigation, and no arrests have been announced in most cases. Officials are urging anyone with information to come forward.
The Chicago Police Department continues to work with community organizations and federal agencies to address the surge in violence that often accompanies the summer months and major holidays.
Authorities also noted that shootings over the weekend affected nearly every side of the city, underscoring the widespread impact of gun violence on residents and their families.
