Deadly Shooting Mars Juneteenth Celebration at Illinois Shopping Center
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Gunfire erupted outside a suburban Illinois shopping center, leaving one person dead and at least 20 others injured during a Juneteenth celebration.
The incident took place around 12:30 a.m. on Route 83 near Honeysuckle Lane in Willowbrook, Illinois, according to Battalion Chief Joe Ostrander of the Tri-State Fire Protection District.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene to as a large crowd of over 300 people had gathered for the Juneteenth celebration, which quickly turned violent. Local reports indicate that two individuals who were shot are in critical condition, while others sustained graze wounds. Dupage County sheriff officials confirmed the fatality resulting from the shooting, as reported by NBC Chicago.
Markeshia Avery, a witness, recounted the harrowing experience, saying, "It was supposed to be like a Juneteenth celebration; we just started hearing shooting, so we dropped down until they stopped. They just kept going. After that, we literally scattered away."
Emergency services swiftly responded to the shooting outside the Willowbrook shopping center, where an illegal street takeover had taken place overnight. At 5:30 a.m., a significant police presence remained at the scene, actively investigating the incident.
Sadly, this shooting in Illinois was just one of several acts of violence that occurred over the holiday weekend, coinciding with Father's Day on Sunday and Juneteenth on Monday.
In Missouri, ten individuals under the age of 18 were shot, resulting in the death of one minor. The shooting occurred in St. Louis around 1:45 a.m. in the area of Washington Avenue and 14th Street, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
Another shooting incident unfolded near a Washington state music festival, where five people were injured. The shooting took place in the camping area near the small city of George, prompting officers from the Grant County Sheriff's Office to pursue and apprehend the suspect.
Furthermore, a shootout in central Pennsylvania claimed the lives of a state trooper and the suspect involved. The suspect had previously seriously wounded another trooper near the Lewistown barracks before being located by authorities in Walker Township.
Specific details regarding the names and conditions of the victims and troopers were not immediately available.
