Four dead, 14 wounded and a gunman on the loose: How an album launch ended in bloodshed on a Chicago street
At least four people were killed and another 14 were injured in a drive-by shooting just outside of a Chicago rapper’s album release party, authorities said.
Guests leaving an event celebrating the release of Chicago-based rapper Mello Buckzz’s latest album, Hollyhood, at the Artis Lounge nightclub in the city’s River North neighborhood were targeted by a barrage of gunfire around 11 p.m. Wednesday night, authorities said.
Two men, ages 24 and 25, and two women were pronounced dead, while 14 others were shot, including three who were left in critical condition.
The vehicle holding the suspect – or suspects – immediately fled the scene. No arrests had been made as of Thursday morning.
Here’s what you need to know about the horrifying mass shooting:
An album release party for Chicago-based rapper Mello Buckzz had just ended when the shooting took place.
Attendees were leaving the venue when the suspect, or suspects, opened fire on the group as they convened on the sidewalk on the 300 block of West Chicago Avenue on the Near North Side.
In a post to her Instagram story, Buckzz, whose real name is Melanie Doyle, wrote: “Prayers up for all my sisters god please wrap yo arms around every last one of them.
“We need u i need u ngl im f***ed up ..feel like everything just weighing down on me… All i can do is talk to god and pray.”
In another post the 24-year-old rapper said, “I can’t believe i lost both yall in 1 night,” along with a photograph of her with two friends. Another read that her “heart is broke into so many pieces.”
The party was being held at the Artis Lounge, which is in the same space as the former Hush nightclub that shut down after it was deemed a public safety threat following a fatal shooting.
Four people were killed and another 14 were injured in the attack, authorities said.
Two men, ages 24 and 25, and two women were pronounced dead, police said. The ages of the women were not immediately shared by police, but the family of one of the female victims identified her as 26-year-old Taylor Walker, WGN News reported. Both women were shot in the chest, while one of the men was shot in the chest and the other in the head, according to The Chicago Tribune.
The identities of the other victims were not immediately known.
