Four people were killed and at least 14 others were wounded in a drive-by shooting outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge in Chicago’s River North neighborhood on July 2, 2025, according to the evidence packet.

The shooting took place around 11 p.m. as people were leaving the venue after an album release party for rapper Mello Buckzz. Chicago police said a dark vehicle drove past the 300 block of West Chicago Avenue and that shots were fired into a crowd standing on the sidewalk. The victims ranged in age from 21 to 32.

The aftermath was immediate and chaotic. Two men were taken to Stroger Hospital and later pronounced dead. The Cook County Medical Examiner identified them as 25-year-old Leon Andrew Henry and 23-year-old Devonte Terrell Williamson. A 26-year-old woman and a 27-year-old woman were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and died there, according to police. Among the wounded were people taken to Illinois Masonic, Mt. Sinai, Stroger and Northwestern Memorial hospitals.

Police described the incident as a targeted attack and said some of the victims were part of Mello Buckzz’s inner circle. Supt. Larry Snelling said there was a possibility a rifle was used and that shell casings from two different calibers were recovered. He also said police believed three shooters were involved. No arrests had been made at the time of the report.

The attack prompted an intensified police response and comments from Mayor Brandon Johnson, who said the city was mobilizing to prevent further violence. Snelling said police would increase weekend deployment and prepare for possible retaliation. The investigation was continuing, and authorities were coordinating with federal partners.

The venue itself also became part of the response. Artis Lounge said it was working with authorities and released a statement saying the violence deeply shook the business. The city issued a summary closure of the building while investigators continued to examine the location. The same block had previously been the site of a mass shooting in November 2022, when the venue was known as Hush Lounge.

The event left families and witnesses describing a scene of confusion, grief and urgency. Pastor Donovan Price told CBS News Chicago that it was the worst scene he had seen. The wounded and the dead were left to be identified while the neighborhood absorbed another mass-casualty shooting in the same corridor.

The source packet also notes that there was another mass shooting elsewhere in Chicago the same night, underscoring the scale of the violence that unfolded across the city. But the River North attack was the most lethal, and the one now under an active police investigation.