Latest news with #MelloBuckzz
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly calls for permanent closure of Artis Restaurant and Lounge after mass shooting
Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) on Thursday called for the city to permanently shut down a River North nightclub, after a mass shooting outside Wednesday night left four people dead and 14 wounded. Reilly, whose ward includes the Artis Restaurant and Lounge nightclub, called the shooting disturbing, and cited a history of violence at the location as a reason to shut it down. After an album release party for rapper Mello Buckzz, police said someone in a dark vehicle drove past the nightclub as the rapper's friends and fans hung around outside, firing shots into the crowd. Rabbi Avraham Kagan heard the gunfire. "It was last night around 11, and we just heard we heard noise. It was gunshots; pow, pow, pow," Kagan said. Four people were killed and 14 others injured. The owners of the lounge, Brandi and Brittany Artis, rented the space just a few months ago, and promoted the fact it was owned by Black queer women. Exavier Pope, who attended a soft opening for the lounge earlier this year to celebrate one of the owner's birthdays, said, "It is a beautiful space." "It is a very welcoming space," he said. But the space has also has a history of violence. In November 2022, one person was killed and three others were wounded in a mass shooting at the former Hush Lounge nightclub in the same space. Operating under a different owner at the time, the city temporarily closed Hush after that shooting, and under pressure from Reilly the city revoked its licenses and eventually shut Hush down. In a statement released on Thursday, Reilly asked the city to revoke Artis Lounges' business license, and immediately pursue permanent closure of the club. "Given the serious public safety concerns and clear mismanagement of this event, I am calling on the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection to revoke this business license immediately and pursue permanent closure of the establishment," Reilly wrote. The Chicago Police Department already has issued a summary closure of the building, temporarily closing it amid an investigation into the shooting and the location itself. "Despite early assurances from the new restaurant owner that this venue would support local artisans, foster inclusivity, and serve as a hub for connection, creativity, and joy - the owners decided to turn over their venue to promote a new rap album release," Reilly wrote. "It is clear the new operators were dishonest with the City about their plans for the venue and have now contributed to a devastating act of violence—just weeks after opening as a BYOB 'restaurant.'" Pope thinks forcing Artis Lounge to shut down is a harsh move for the new owners "These women started this business in this community to be able to make a safe space, and it was tarnished, and this shouldn't be the overall way that the community views them as business owners," There have been other violent incidents the River North community in recent years. In May 2022, just a few blocks from what is now Artis Lounge, a mass shooting left 2 dead and 7 hurt outside of a McDonald's at Chicago Avenue and State Street. In October 2023, a block away, eight people were shot outside a restaurant and bar in the 300 block of West Erie Street. More security is what Rabbi Kagan would like to see. "When such incidents occur, that's an automatic call for more security, which helps ensure these things don't happen again, and it also acutally helps those who are perpetrating the crimes," he said. The restaurant's owners had no comment on Reilly's call to shut them down.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
4 men wounded in mass shooting on South Side of Chicago
Four men were wounded in a mass shooting Thursday afternoon in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. Police said, shortly before 1 p.m., four men were near the sidewalk near 59th Street and Ashland Avenue, when two gunmen walked up and started shooting. A 51-year-old man was shot in the groin, and was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. A 50-year-old man was shot in the back, and was taken to U of C Medical Center in good condition. A 40-year-old man was shot in the flank and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition. A 35-year-old man was shot in the right thigh, and was taken to St. Bernard Hospital in good condition. No one was in custody Thursday afternoon. Area 1 detectives were investigating. It was the third mass shooting in Chicago in less than 24 hours. Four people were killed and 14 others were wounded late Wednesday night in a mass shooting outside a River North restaurant and lounge, following an album release party for rapper Mello Buckzz. Four people were wounded in a mass shooting early Thursday in the Riverdale neighborhood.
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Four killed, 14 injured in mass shooting outside downtown Chicago lounge
Four people in the United States have been killed and at least 14 others wounded when gunmen opened fire on a crowd outside a lounge in downtown Chicago, according to police. According to authorities, the mass shooting took place around 11:00pm (04:00 GMT) on Wednesday, when shots were fired from a vehicle travelling along Chicago Avenue in the city's River North neighbourhood. Chicago police reported that 13 women and five men, all between the ages of 21 and 32, were struck by the gunfire. Among the dead were two men and two women. As of Thursday, at least three victims remained in critical condition. The injured were transported to local hospitals. Police said the driver fled the scene immediately, and no arrests have been made. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling urged the public to submit anonymous tips to help detectives identify the suspects. Local media reported that rapper Mello Buckzz, also known as Melanie Doyle, was hosting a private event at the lounge Wednesday evening to celebrate the release of her new album. Snelling said police were trying to determine a motive and that the venue, Artis Lounge, is closed 'until we get to the bottom of this'. He did not identify the number of attackers involved in the incident but said police found two different calibres of casings and were still reviewing footage. 'Clearly, there was some target in some way,' Snelling said. 'This wasn't some random shooting.' Artis Lounge confirmed they were working with authorities as the investigation continued. A post shared by Ärt-is Restaurant and Lounge (@artischicago) 'I can only describe it as a warzone' In the hours after the shooting, Buckzz asked for prayers and expressed her anger and sadness on social media. 'My heart broke into so many pieces,' the artist wrote on Instagram Stories. In her posts, the rapper revealed that many of those injured were her friends, and that she had been in a relationship with one of the men who was killed. 'Prayers up for all my sisters god please wrap yo arms around every last one of them,' Buckzz wrote across several Instagram Story slides. 'Feel like everything just weighing down on me … all I can do is talk to god and pray.' Chicago pastor Donovan Price, who works with communities affected by violence, described the scene as a 'warzone'. 'Just mayhem and blood and screaming and confusion as people tried to find their friends and phones. It was a horrendous, tragic, dramatic scene,' he told The Associated Press. The shooting took place days before the Fourth of July weekend, when Chicago and other major cities often see a surge in gun crimes. In recent years, however, Chicago has seen an overall decrease in gun violence. During the last Fourth of July weekend in Chicago, more than 100 people were shot, resulting in at least 19 deaths. Mayor Brandon Johnson said at the time that the violence 'has left our city in a state of grief'.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
‘Never seen anything quite like this': Chicago pastor shaken after visit to mass shooting scene where 4 were killed
For a Chicago pastor who has rushed to innumerable murder scenes over the past decade, showing up minutes later to comfort those impacted by senseless violence, what he saw on Wednesday night after a shooting outside a club hit him harder than he ever imagined. Pastor Donovan Price thought he had seen it all, and had visited other mass killing sites in the past. However, the scene outside the Artis Restaurant and Lounge in the city's River North neighborhood, following a record release party for local rapper Mello Buckzz, continues to haunt him, he said Thursday morning. 'I didn't expect that many people to be shot, police calling for six more ambulances, and everybody just going crazy, trying to find the people they were with, find their cell phones, find the keys to their cars, just madness,' Price told The Independent. 'And then, the amount of blood in the street. Stepping in blood, the mayhem, people laying in the street… I just really was overwhelmed by the number of people who were actually involved, and not bystanders – just, everybody had a stake in what had just happened.' As unsuspecting attendees streamed out of the club shortly after 11pm, a dark-colored SUV pulled up and a person – or persons – inside the vehicle started shooting into the crowd, leaving four dead and 14 wounded, according to cops. The SUV immediately fled, and no arrests have yet been made. Price arrived 20 to 25 minutes after the bullets began flying, he said. 'I work with homicides and shootings here in Chicago, I've been doing it since 2016, I had never seen anything quite like this,' he went on. 'And so it was a big shock.' Price said he immediately 'ran in and helped folks and did what I could,' assisting victims, helping family members find loved ones and trying to reassure traumatized witnesses. And while he was totally focused on the task at hand, Price said, 'it was still very taxing, more taxing than it had perhaps been before.' 'Afterwards, I went to three of the hospitals and there were a lot of people to calm down outside,' Price explained, voice breaking with emotion. 'Once it was over, I was able to just kind of take a breather, and it was very sad.' He found himself sobbing over what he had witnessed, Price said. In the aftermath, Price took to X to express what he was feeling. '2 hours ago my life changed,' Price posted at 3:01 a.m. 'pray for these… every time I try to talk tears run down my face,' he posted a half-hour later. 'just sitting in my car crying for some of the people I held tonight,' Price posted at 3:53 a.m. Of the 18 people shot, five were men and 13 were women, police said. All but two of the victims were between the ages of 21 and 32. A 24-year-old man and a 25-year-old man were among the four dead; two women were also killed, but no further details on them were provided by authorities. Mello Buckzz later posted on Instagram that her boyfriend and best friend had died in the shooting. 'Prayers up for all my sisters, God please wrap your arms around every last one of them,' Buckzz said in a subsequent statement. 'We need you, I need you…' As of early Thursday, three of the 14 people injured were listed in critical condition, nine were listed in good condition, one was listed in fair condition and one was listed in stable condition. By the numbers, shootings and homicides in Chicago have dropped sharply, with declines of 39 percent and 33 percent, respectively. At the same time, Price told The Independent that 'things seem more intense, the dynamic has changed.' As far as gun violence goes, Price said, 'There may always be a problem there. There has always been a problem.' 'I do know that many people are doing great work to battle this, and I hope they get the strength [to keep going] despite cuts in budgets and that type of thing, but all we can do is continue to [try],' Price went on. He said he hopes that 'we, as people, as a nation, as cities, as a world,' can recognize our individual roles in helping create a less violent existence for all. 'Maybe all you can do is sit in your chair and pray,' Price said. 'Make sure you do that. If you know young people out there, speak to them. Speak to the people you know, the people in your circle, and if the next person does the same thing, and the next person does the same thing, then the whole community will be safe.'
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
4 Killed and 14 Injured in Mass Shooting Outside Chicago Nightclub After Artist's Album Release Party
Four people were killed and 14 were injured in a drive-by shooting in downtown Chicago The shooting occurred after an album release party for rapper Mello Buckzz Police have not yet arrested a suspectFour people were killed and another 14 were injured in a drive-by shooting outside a nightclub in downtown Chicago. The Wednesday, July 2, shooting was reported by CBS News Chicago, NBC Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times, all citing police. Police reportedly said a dark car pulled up outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge and at least one person opened fire on the crowd after rapper Mello Buckzz's album release party, according to CBS. Two men, aged 24 and 25, were fatally shot, as were a 26-year-old and a 27-year-old woman, CBS reported. Three of the victims were shot in the chest, while the 25-year-old was shot in the head. The vehicle fled the scene immediately after, according to the reports. The age range of the wounded victims spans from 21 years old to 32, according to the reports. Four women were listed in critical condition, the Sun-Times paper reported that the nightclub is the site of a former club that the city closed in 2022 following another fatal shooting. NBC reported that the city declared the former nightclub, Hush Chicago, a "public safety threat." No arrests have been made in connection with the drive-by shooting. 'It was a chaotic scene,' witness Roger Tanner told the Sun-Times. 'It was so many young people. I thought they were having fun.' Read the original article on People
