Four people were killed and at least 14 were injured in a mass shooting Wednesday night outside a River North bar and restaurant, Chicago police said.
A black car pulled up outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge, 311 W. Chicago Ave., and at least one person in the car opened fire on a crowd of people gathering around 11 p.m., police said. The restaurant is at the same location of a nightclub the city shut down over two years ago after a fatal shooting happened outside.
Wednesday night’s shooting happened at the end of an album release party for Chicago drill rapper Mello Buckzz, a witness who was inside the bar told the Sun-Times. Handgun and rifle rounds were recovered and several shell casings were seen inside and outside the club.
Police believe the target of the attack was likely the rapper, although she had already left the venue when the shooting erupted, a law enforcement source said.
According to the source, the black Honda Accord initially circled around the front of the club to see who was there. When the car came back around, shots were fired from it before it sped away east.
Roger Tanner was passing the scene in a cab when he saw a cop carrying a young woman covered in blood over his shoulders. She was shot and he was rushing her to a waiting ambulance, Tanner said.
Roger Tanner
“It was a chaotic scene,” Tanner said Thursday morning outside Artis. “It was so many young people. I thought they were having fun. This seems like a nice place.”
Tanner was in town from Springfield, where he moved to from Chicago almost two years ago. He grew up and lived in Lawndale, a neighborhood he says is no stranger to violence.
“These young people are going crazy. If they don’t come up with some type of program to help them or make tougher laws on guns, I don’t know. But something has to give,” Tanner said. “There are too many innocent people dying. And who knows how many children who are going to be without fathers or mothers.”
Another witness told the Sun-Times he heard at least two dozen shots before several police officers rushed to the scene.
Police said victims were taken to several nearby hospitals, including Stroger Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Mt. Sinai Hospital and Illinois Masonic Hospital, police said.
A 24-year-old man was shot in the chest and a 25-year-old man was shot in head. Both were pronounced dead after they were taken to Stroger. Two women were also fatally shot in the chest and both were taken to Northwestern where they were pronounced.
Four women taken to Stroger and Mt. Sinai are in critical condition: a 31-year-old shot several times, a 24-year-old shot in the back, a 25-year-old shot in the leg and a 21-year-old shot in the face.
Ten others, ages 24 to 32, are in good condition at nearby hospitals, police said.
Thursday mid-morning several people sat outside the Stroger Hospital emergency entrance, some discussing the way they raced to the hospital at the news of the shooting. They declined to speak with a reporter.
Aradhya Seth, 25, lives in the high-rise next to the restaurant. He was on a call with friends Wednesday night when he started hearing sirens. His 12th floor apartment looks out onto Orleans Street and he watched the block fill with cop cars and ambulances.
Aradhya Seth, 25, lives in the high-rise next to the restaurant told the Sun-Times he heard sirens and saw the aftermath of a mass shooting at 311 W. Chicago Ave. on July 2, 2025 that left 18 people shot, four of them fatally.
“There are police sirens all the time, but the intensity of it was really high, like they were like 10, 20 and then kept on increasing,” Seth said.
At the gas station on Orleans and Chicago, Seth saw and heard people sobbing.
“I think from what I could sense that somebody had told them that their friend got shot or something happened to them, and they were just uncontrollably sobbing right at that station. I’ll never forget that,” Seth said.
“It was just so heartbreaking. And I was so helpless.”
Rowena Mendez showed up for her shift around 3 a.m. at the Dunkin’ next door to Artis. At first, she thought the gruesome scene outside was a movie set. The block recently had film notices posted for a movie shoot.
“I said to my boyfriend, it looks so real,” Mendez said.
Rowena Mendez showed up for her shift around 3 a.m. at the Dunkin’ next door to Artis. At first, she thought the gruesome scene outside was a movie set. The block recently had film notices posted for a movie shoot.
But she quickly realized it wasn’t fake. Blood was splattered all over the sidewalk and bloody footprints led away from the restaurant. Shoes, hats and clothing were scattered all over. One of the windows at the Dunkin’ was shattered.
“I want to quit because I don’t know if that could happen to me,” Mendez said. “Hopefully we can all be protected in this area, the people who live here, who work here.”
As the attack began to unfold, an officer came over police radio.
“We got a possible shots fired at Chicago and Wells…Chicago and Wells…possible shots fired,” the officer said.
“10-4,” a dispatcher replied. “We just got a ticket of a person shot…several people shot,” the dispatcher said. “No offender but there’s three people down.”
“Drive by…shots fired from a black car last seen headed eastbound,” the dispatcher said.
“There’s a large party,” the dispatcher said. “CFD is rolling.”
Passersby outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge, 311 W. Chicago Ave. where 18 people were shot, 4 fatally late July 2, 2025.
Another mass shooting happened at the same address in 2022, when a person was killed and three injured outside the former Hush Chicago nightclub. The city shut down the club after that shooting, deeming it a “public safety threat.”
The Artis Restaurant and Lounge opened in April, according to its social media pages. In a statement, the restaurant’s owners said the shooting has shaken them deeply.
“Artis was created as a safe space,” the statement reads. “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.”
No arrests have been made.
Workers for the building’s landlord were outside Thursday cleaning up blood and debris. They picked up a red carpet soaked in blood and posters advertising the party.
Chicago police investigate the scene of a mass shooting that took place at Artis Restaurant and Lounge located at 311 W. Chicago Ave. in the River North neighborhood, Thursday, July 3, 2025.
Tom Schuba and Violet Miller contributed.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
