The scene was chaotic, with bullets flying as people took cover. Now the mayor intends to hold the owner of that building accountable.
The large party in a warehouse on the south side of the city ended with 15 people shot and two dead. The video taken early on Sunday morning during the after-hours party shows how people dance and have fun. Moments later, gunfire erupts.
“Playing music, people are having fun, and before you know it I hear shooting,” a witness told ABC7 Chicago. “Then everyone fell to the ground screaming.”
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One witness who did not want to be identified said one of her friends had been hit twice.
“He was shot and asked me to come and help him, so I drove him to the hospital,” said the witness. ‘He was at the front of the party, that’s how he was shot. They fired from the front of the party. ‘
The shooting took place just before 5:00 am on Sunday in the 6700 block of S. South Chicago Avenue.
The building is used for car repairs and towing, but it was packed at night.
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Chicago’s Dept. of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection has twice issued cease-and-desist orders to multiple companies located at the address. The violations, which began in 2018, involved the illegal operation of a cigar and liqueur lounge without the proper business license.
In 2019, the city said the building’s owner was arrested for violating that injunction and the illegal business was shut down.
“That was clearly an unauthorized use for that facility,” said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
“Given history, I would expect some important steps to be taken.”
The medical examiner identified the two dead as Rayneesha Dotson, 30, and Lionel Darling, 39. Dotson’s family said she had just moved to Texas to escape the gun violence and was back to visit when she was murdered.
Chicago police believe the shooting was related to a gang.
“Everyone was on the ground trying to find a way out,” the witness said. “It messed me up inside.”
City data shows that there was a follow-up investigation in 2019 and no problems were found. Now the mayor is working on the case.
No one is currently in custody for the shooting.
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