Updated on: July 3, 2025 / 1:24 PM EDT
/ CBS Chicago Four people were killed and at least 14 others were wounded in a drive-by mass shooting outside the Artis Lounge nightclub in Chicago's River North neighborhood on Wednesday night, Chicago police said around 11 p.m., a dark SUV drove past the nightclub in the 300 block of West Chicago Avenue, where three people from inside fired shots into a crowd of people standing on the sidewalk. The crowd was said to be leaving the nightclub following an album release party for rapper Mello Buckzz. The victims injured in the shooting range in age from 21 to 32 years old. Of the injured, two were taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital, two were taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital, three were taken to Stroger Hospital and six were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in conditions ranging from good to critical. Four of the injured are in serious to critical condition, according to Chicago police. A 24-year-old man was shot in the chest and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died. A 25-year-old man was shot in the head and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died. A 26-year-old woman and a 27-year-old woman were both shot in the chest and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where they died, Chicago police said. Rapper Mello Buckzz released a statement on social media, saying in part, "Prayers up for all my sisters god please wrap yo arms around every last one of them." She then went on to say, "Feel like everything just weighing down on me...all I can do is talk to god and pray." In social media posts, the rapper said many of those who were hurt were her friends, including the two women who were killed. She said she was in a relationship with one of the men who died. Artis Lounge nightclub confirmed they are working with authorities as the investigation continues. Owners released the following statement: "Last night, an act of violence occurred within the vicinity of our restaurant and it deeply shook us. Artis was created as a safe space. A Space where Black, Brown, Queer, and allied communities could gather, be celebrated, and feel at home in River north. We've always led with that mission. And what happened last night disrupted it in the most painful way. Our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones." Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said the city has issued a summary closure of the building, shutting down the club. Their investigation into the location itself continues. Pastor Donovan Price spoke to CBS News Chicago after arriving on the chaotic scene. "The worst, the worst I've seen.," he said. "People wanting to find their other people, find who was alive, finding who was you know where their phones were because they dropped them in the chaos, so they couldn't even call, or couldn't even find their car keys. It's, it's something that you wouldn't expect to find in the city, we have a lot of shootings, but nothing, nothing like this." No arrests have been made as of Thursday, but police said they believe three shooters were involved. The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing. The same block was also the scene of a mass shooting in November 2022, when the same nightclub was known as Hush Lounge. One person was killed and three others wounded after a group that had been thrown out of Hush started fighting. Police shut down the Hush nightclub after that shooting, and Artis Lounge later opened in the same location. Todd Feurer is a web producer for CBS Chicago. He has previously written for WBBM Newsradio, WUIS-FM and the New City News Service.
