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Axios
03-07-2025
- Axios
River North mass shooting: 4 killed, 14 injured outside Chicago club
A mass shooting in Chicago's River North neighborhood Wednesday night has left four people dead and at least 14 wounded, according to police. The latest: The shootings happened just outside Artis Restaurant on West Chicago Avenue, during a record-release party for rapper Mello Buckzz. Police say a large group of people were gathered outside when an SUV drove by and opened fire around 11pm. The four killed were two men and two women. Four others are listed in critical to serious conditions at local hospitals. The victims injured in the shooting range in age from 21 to 32 years old. The mass shooting comes as the city gears up for a traditionally violent weekend. Last year, 109 people were shot and 19 killed over the Fourth of July weekend. No arrests have been made as of Thursday morning. Flashback: This block in River North was also the site of a shooting in 2022, when the nightclub was called Hush Lounge. Zoom out: So far, 2025 has seen steep declines in homicides and shootings in the city, with some of the lowest levels in decades. Chicago had remarkably low numbers for Memorial Day weekend, and officials were hoping to see the same this weekend. There were 192 homicides in Chicago through June 30 this year, compared to 289 over the same period last year. What they're saying: "The goal is, obviously, to not have any homicides this weekend," deputy mayor of community safety Garien Gatewood told Axios this week. "But historically, the Fourth of July has been one of the hardest holidays in the history of the city of Chicago."
Axios
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Chicago's safety plan faces crucial test this Fourth of July
The Fourth of July weekend is traditionally a time for families to come together for food, fun and fireworks. Unfortunately, the holiday weekend is also historically a violent time. Why it matters: Last year, 109 people were shot and 19 killed over the holiday weekend. 50 people were killed in the first half of July. The big picture: So far, 2025 has seen steep declines in homicides and shootings in the city, with some of the lowest levels in decades. Chicago had remarkably low numbers for Memorial Day weekend and officials are hoping to see the same this weekend. There were 192 homicides in Chicago through June 30 this year, compared to 289 over the same period last year. What they're saying:"The goal is, obviously, to not have any homicides this weekend," deputy mayor of community safety Garien Gatewood tells Axios. "But historically, the Fourth of July has been one of the hardest holidays in the history of the city of Chicago." Zoom in: Mayor Brandon Johnson has been touting his community safety plan as the reason why homicides are dropping. The center of that plan was hiring Gatewood as the first-ever deputy mayor of community safety in 2023. Gatewood says success is all about communication between all the stakeholders. "I think the big difference is everybody is actually working together," Gatewood says. "Back in other administrations, you had too many folks working in silos. You'd have street outreach contracts, but no relationship with the police department. You would have deputy mayors who weren't out on the ground as much as we are." "I can't tell you the last day I haven't talked to either the superintendent or the chief of patrol." State of play: Gatewood says the entire menu of resources will be used this weekend, including activating the city's emergency operations center and flooding the streets with more police officers and the skies with more helicopters. Officers will work overtime in certain high-crime areas. He also says the city has expanded contracts for community organizations to stay out until 2 or 3am. Last year, they were only out until midnight. The city will also feature more late-night basketball events with free food, designed to attract teens from the South and West sides. Zoom out: While violent crime is dropping across the country, including in big cities like New York and LA, Gatewood points out that Chicago's levels are dropping even faster, which is a stark contrast to years past. Reality check: Even though Johnson's plan seems to be working, Gatewood is well aware of the challenges this weekend, thanks to the combination of late-night outdoor celebrations and the heat. Last year, he spent his holiday weekend visiting crime scenes and consoling family members. "It's important we show up and put in the work," Gatewood says. "Because in a lot of situations, when people see me on their block, it could be the worst day of their lives. So we must show up in the good times and in the bad times." What's next: After this weekend, Gatewood says the city will continue its "take back the block" events that flood one particular violent hotspot neighborhood with police, other city departments and community organizers.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Violence down over Memorial Day weekend, according to police data
This past Memorial Day weekend saw an overall decrease in gun violence compared to last year, according to Chicago police data. According to preliminary data from 6 p.m. on Friday to Monday at 11:59 p.m., there were 21 shooting incidents over the holiday weekend, with 24 victims involved. Police also said that there were three homicides over the weekend. Chicago homicides in 2025: 148 people slain. Here's how that compares with previous years. Tribune reporting from last year said there were at least 31 shooting incidents during Memorial Day weekend of 2024. Gun violence citywide has also decreased in recent years. As of last week, Chicago police said that the city has seen a 22% decline in fatal shootings and a 32% decline in shootings compared with 2024. Three fatal shootings were logged over the weekend, according to authorities. About 8:40 p.m. Monday in the 1600 block of South Springfield Avenue, a 42-year-old man was discovered by a witness with a gunshot wound to the back, police said. The victim was transported to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition, where he later died. On Saturday about 4:10 p.m. in the 800 block of North Sacramento Avenue, a 46-year-old man was shot in the head while inside a vehicle, police said. The vehicle crashed into a parked car and a light pole. Earlier Saturday, about 2:45 a.m., in the 1700 block of North Spaulding Avenue, a 35-year-old man inside a vehicle got into an argument with another person who was also in a vehicle. The suspect fired multiple times at the 35-year-old from the vehicle, police said. The victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital. The gunman fled the scene. City officials credited their gun violence prevention response to the drop in shootings over the weekend. The city addressed the typically busy weekend with a Police Department out in 'full force,' broad efforts from street outreach groups and regular coordination calls, Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Garien Gatewood said during a news conference Tuesday. Every police commander worked during the weekend, Gatewood said. He touted a late-night basketball event in Washington Park and volunteering by city employees in parks. After years on the front lines of violence prevention, Englewood group faces layoffs as DOJ shifts priorities Mayor Brandon Johnson similarly praised the relative drop in gun violence Tuesday morning, but added that there is 'much work that is still ahead.'
Chicago Tribune
27-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Violence down over Memorial Day weekend, according to police data
This past Memorial Day weekend saw an overall decrease in gun violence compared to last year, according to Chicago police data. According to preliminary data from 6 p.m. on Friday to Monday at 11:59 p.m., there were 21 shooting incidents over the holiday weekend, with 24 victims involved. Police also said that there were three murders over the weekend. Tribune reporting from last year said there were at least 31 shooting incidents during Memorial Day weekend of 2024. Gun violence citywide has also decreased in recent years. As of last week, Chicago police said that the city has seen a 22% decline in fatal shootings and a 32% decline in shootings compared to 2024. Three fatal shootings were logged over the weekend, according to authorities. Around 8:40 p.m. Monday in the 1600 block of South Springfield Avenue, a 42-year-old man was discovered by a witness with a gunshot wound to the back, police said. The victim was transported to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition, where he later died. A witness said he saw a suspect flee the scene on foot before discovering the victim, police said. On Saturday around 4:10 p.m. in the 800 block of North Sacramento Avenue, a 46-year-old man was shot in the head while inside a vehicle, police said. The vehicle crashed into a parked car and a light pole. The victim was transported to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition and was later pronounced dead. Earlier that Saturday around 2:45 a.m. in the 1700 block of North Spaulding Avenue, a 35-year-old man inside a vehicle got into an argument with another person who was also in a vehicle. The suspect fired multiple times at the 35-year-old from inside the vehicle, police said. The victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital. The suspect fled the scene. City officials credited their gun violence prevention response to the drop in shootings over the weekend. The city addressed the typically busy weekend with a police department out in 'full force,' broad efforts from street outreach groups and regular coordination calls, Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Garien Gatewood said during a news conference Tuesday. Every police commander in the department worked during the weekend, Gatewood said. He touted a late-night basketball event in Washington Park and volunteering by city employees in parks. Mayor Brandon Johnson similarly praised the relative drop in gun violence Tuesday morning, but added that there is 'much work that is still ahead.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chicago leaders seek curfew to curb teen street takeovers
CHICAGO (WGN) – As summer approaches, city leaders are hard at work on a safety plan for potential teen street takeovers. A vote to give police the power to quickly enact a curfew is expected next month. On Memorial Day, Chicago's Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Garien Gatewood attended a service in Grant Park, but his mind was on planned teen takeovers. 'A lot of this comes with conversations with the folks who are posting these teen trends and trying to get ahead of that, and then making sure that we have adequate resources in place ahead of the time that they're scheduled to be there, so that we can welcome them with open arms,' Gatewood said. 'So one, to make sure they understand they are welcome, but two, to also understand that we want everybody to be safe.' Chicago police warn Chicago Public Schools parents ahead of potential teen takeover at city beach The spontaneous large-scale gatherings are growing in number and are not always safe. According to Gatewood, his office is aware of at least five teen takeovers over the last week. 'When you see there's a posting that there will be a takeover, a gathering, what happens then?' WGN-TV Political Reporter Tahman Bradley asked. 'So we reach out to the poster if we have that contact information. We'll reach out to that poster to get a sense of what's happening there. If we know what school they're in, we'll reach out to the schools. As you may have seen, Chicago Public Schools and the police department and also parks have been sending out letters when we know trends are happening to let parents know, to let families know. Again, we want you to have fun, but we want you to be safe,' Gatewood answered. Gatewood added when CPD's Chief of Patrol gets word of a takeover, he repositions police while city agencies deploy community groups to the scene, but members of City Council are pushing for CPD to have more power. They want the superintendent, working in concert with Gatewood, to be able to declare a snap curfew. Last week, allies of Mayor Brandon Johnson delayed a vote on the plan for reasons unknown. Gatewood was asked if he wants CPD Supt. Larry Snelling to have the power to declare a curfew, to which he said, 'Well, what I want is for citizens to be safe. I want young folks to be safe.' Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines 'Those out of control scenes like what we saw in Streeterville, can you guarantee that's not going to happen again?' Bradley asked. 'Well, no. I can't guarantee anything like that, Tahman, but what I can guarantee you is that we're going to work together,' Gatewood replied. Gatewood believes they can't stop young people from congregating, but the right mix of police and community ambassadors can keep large gatherings safe. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
