Four Dead After Shooting at Chicago Rapper’s Album Event

Four people have been pronounced dead following a drive-by shooting at Artis Restaurant and Lounge in Chicago, where the rapper Mello Buckzz was hosting an album release event. Fourteen others were transported to local hospitals with varying injuries. Authorities have not yet taken any suspects into custody after an unknown number of shooters in a vehicle opened fire on the crowd outside the venue.

Mello Buckzz’s partner and best friend were among those killed in the shooting. “We was having so much fun in our private little life, couldn’t leave each other alone glued to my hip everyday. It’s not a night we ain’t spend together,” the rapper wrote on Instagram, sharing videos with her boyfriend. “I’m so fucking angry. U was woke I held yo hand until I couldn’t. U talked to me. Clearly ion get it boo, I’m fucked up.”

She shared a series of stories featuring photos and videos of close friends. “My heart broke into so many pieces rn it’s unbelievable,” she wrote. “Why is this happening to me?”

Describing the scene at the venue, per Associated Press, Chicago pastor Donovan Price said, “When I arrived last night, it was absolute chaos, from people screaming to blood on the streets, to people lying on the street … The worst I’ve seen — just people wanting to find their other people, find who was alive, finding where their phones were because they dropped them in the chaos.”

A 24-year-old man, as well as two adult women, were shot in the chest, and a 25-year-old man was shot in the head. All four individuals succumbed to their injuries, according to NBC Chicago. Three others are in critical condition, while two others are in serious condition, and eight are in stable condition. The shooting occurred at around 11 p.m. CT on Wednesday, July 2.