Month: June 2023

At least 22 people were injured and one person was killed by gunfire overnight in Illinois at a peaceful celebration in honor of Juneteenth.

The shooting took place around 12:30 a.m. in a parking lot in Willowbrook, about 21 miles west of Chicago. A large group of people gathered for the celebration from around 6 p.m. on Saturday, and , the sheriff’s office said that police were already at the site to monitor the event.

According to a statement from the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, multiple suspects fired multiple rounds from multiple weapons into the large crowd of people gathered to celebrate the holiday. DuPage County Deputy Sheriff Eric Swanson told reporters Sunday that several were injured as people attempted to flee the area; victims are being treated at hospitals in the area.  Ten patients were transported to four hospitals with injuries ranging from graze wounds to more serious gunshot wounds.

The motive behind the shooting is unclear and it is still an active investigation, Swanson said. No suspects are in custody.

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Two people were killed and three others injured after police said a shooter began firing “randomly” into a crowd at a Washington state campground that was hosting people attending the Beyond Wonderland Festival, an electronic dance festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Washington. The suspect was among those injured after being shot in a confrontation with law enforcement.

Kyle Foreman, public information officer with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. said during a press conference that authorities received the first report of the shooting shortly before 8:30 p.m. at the camping area a few hundred yards from the Gorge Amphitheater, where thousands of people were attending the festival. The Gorge is near the small city of George, about 150 miles east of Seattle. After the initial shots were fired, the suspect started moving through the campground and “continued to shoot randomly into the crowd” until he was eventually confronted by police and taken into custody, Foreman said. A public alert had advised people that there was an active shooter in the area, but Foreman said there was no effort to evacuate the festival.

The festival continued following the shooting and did not end until early Sunday morning. Organizers of the Beyond Wonderland electronic music festival said on social media that Sunday’s events at the Gorge were canceled. The music festival made the announcement on social media: “We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the local authorities and staff who acted quickly to manage the situation. “Our heartfelt thoughts and condolences go out to the family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic event.”

Editorial credit: Joshua Rainey Photography / Shutterstock.com