CHICAGO – She’s the one her friends turned to for a problem, whether that was fixing their hair or personal advice.

Dozens of people came to a vigil on the South Side of Chicago the evening of July 3 to mourn Taylor Walker, one of four killed in a drive-by shooting the evening before. 

The mass shooting outside an album release party in Chicago’s ritzy River North neighborhood has shocked a city where leaders thought they had begun turning the tide on violence. In addition to those who died, fourteen people were injured in the shooting. 

“I can’t believe they took my baby like that, oh God,” said Sharonda Booth, the mother of Walker, 26. “It’s left a big hole in my heart.”

Booth stood at the center of a large crowd outside Chicago Vocational High School for the vigil. Walker studied cosmetology and danced at the South Side institution years ago, according to classmates.

Chicago police have not made any arrests and are investigating what prompted the shooting at the album release party of South Side rapper Mello Buckzz. It happened at about 11 p.m. on July 2 when a dark-colored vehicle drove by and fired into a crowd of people standing outside before immediately fleeing the scene, police said. The incident occurred outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge, where the release party was held.

In addition to Walker, the deceased victims included two men 23 and 25 and two women ages 26 and 27, according to Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office data. The injured ranged in ages from 21 to 32 and were taken to area hospitals, police said. Three of the injured were in critical condition: One was shot in the back, a second was shot in the leg and another in the mouth.

‘Heart of gold’

Friends and family remembered Walker as a skilled hairdresser and dancer. Among the people attending the vigil was Walker’s significant other, who was also hit in the shooting and appeared on crutches. 

“She knew so many people,” said Nia Colquitt, who grew up in the same South Side neighborhood as Walker. “She really was popular. She was popping. Hairstylist. Dancer. The party.”

Many of the people at the vigil wore pink in reference to Walker’s favorite color and the crowd released dozens of pink balloons in her honor.

“She had a heart of gold,” said Jordan Rose-Johnson, who knew Walker from the South Side high school. The two appeared together on the field at many of the same school games and events although Rose-Johnson was a cheerleader and Walker belonged to a different dance program. “Just the sweetest person,” said Rose-Johnson, 28.

Moriah Jones, who also studied cosmetology at the high school with Walker, said her friend was inspiring.

“She was just the happiest, bubbliest person,” said Jones, 27. “Whenever I came to her with a problem, she always had something positive to say that made me feel better.”

What else to know about the shooting

The shooting happened at the album release party of Chicago drill rapper Mello Buckzz. The name of the album is “Hollywood.”

Buckzz’s significant other was among the people killed, she said in a post on social media. The Chicago Sun-Times identified him as Devonte Williamson, 23.

“We was having so much fun together in our private life,” Buckzz said in posting a montage of photos and videos with Williamson. “Couldn’t leave each other glued to my hip everyday.”Buckzz also posted on social media after the shooting, saying “Prayers up for all my sisters god please wrap yo arms around every last one of them.” In a separate post she added: “I don’t wish this typa pain on nobody.”

Where did the shooting happen?

The shooting happened outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge in the city’s River North neighborhood. 

“Last night, an act of violence happened within the vicinity of our restaurant – and it shook us deeply,” Artis said in a post to social media, adding that it was created as a safe space for people of color, LGBTQ people and allies. “This moment is painful – but it only strengthens our commitment to holding space for those who need it most.”

The restaurant said it was working with authorities. Police have ordered the restaurant to close during the ongoing investigation.

City leaders ‘frustrated’

The 18 people were shot “in a matter of seconds,” Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said at a news conference the afternoon of July 3. 

“Clearly, there was some target. This wasn’t some random shooting where someone just decided that they were going to shoot at this particular group of people,” Snelling told reporters. He said police do not yet know the motive for the shooting.

Multiple shell casings were found at the scene including ones that appeared to be from a rifle, Snelling said.

The incident was one of two mass shootings in Chicago the night of July 2, Mayor Brandon Johnson said. The other left four victims hospitalized on the far south side.

Both come ahead of Fourth of July weekend, typically the most violent in the city every year, and days after Johnson had lauded his administration’s efforts to reduce violence in the city. 

“Violent crime is down to levels not seen in at least a decade in our city,” Johnson said at a July 1 news conference. The drop in violence included Chicago recording fewer than 200 homicides through the first six months of the year for the first time in over a decade.

Johnson struck a different tone on July 3. He said he was “frustrated and angered by this senseless and cowardice act of violence.”

“Shootings like these are a tragic reminder of how far we still have to go as a city,” he said.