The scene was chaotic, with bullets flying as people ran for cover. Now the mayor plans to hold the building owner accountable.
The big party inside a warehouse in the South Zone of the city ended with 15 shot and two dead. Video made early Sunday morning inside the after-hours party shows people dancing and having fun. Moments later, the shooting begins.
“Music playing, people having fun, and the next thing you know, I hear gunshots,” a witness told ABC7 Chicago. “Then everyone fell to the floor screaming.”
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A witness who declined to be named said one of his friends had been beaten twice.
“He was shot and asked me to help him, so I took him to the hospital,” said the witness. “He was in front of the party, that’s how he was shot. They were shooting in front of the party.”
The shooting took place just before 5 am Sunday morning on block 6700 on S. South Chicago Avenue.
The building is used for car repairs and towing, but at night it was packed.
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The Chicago Department of Business and Consumer Protection has twice issued cease and desist orders to several companies located at the address. The violations, which began in 2018, were for illegally operating a cigar and beverage lounge without the proper commercial license.
In 2019, the city said the building’s owner was arrested for violating the order and the illegal trade was closed.
“This was obviously an unauthorized use for that facility,” said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
“Given the story, I hope that some significant steps will be taken.”
The coroner identified the two dead as Rayneesha Dotson, 30, and Lionel Darling, 39. The Dotson family said she had just moved to Texas to escape armed violence and was back to visit her when she was killed.
Chicago police believe the shooting was gang-related.
“Everyone was on the ground trying to find a way out,” said the witness. “It messed me up inside.”
City records show that there was a follow-up investigation in 2019 and no problems were found. Now, the mayor is working on the case.
At the moment, no one is in custody for the shooting.
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