Washington Park Shooting Kills 1, Wounds 14 at Reunion Picnic

A reunion picnic for former Robert Taylor Homes residents ended in gunfire Saturday night when someone opened fire on a crowd of roughly 200 people gathered in Washington Park, killing one man and wounding 14 other people, Chicago police said.

The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. near the 5400 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, inside the park that gives the South Side neighborhood its name. Police said officers were already at the park working to disperse the gathering when a person or multiple people started shooting into the crowd.

A 35-year-old man was shot multiple times and taken to University of Chicago Hospital, where he died. Fourteen other people, ranging in age from 21 to 47, were struck by gunfire and taken to hospitals across the city, including University of Chicago Hospital, Stroger Hospital, St. Bernard Hospital and Northwestern Hospital. Most were listed in good or fair condition, though a 47-year-old woman was in serious condition at Northwestern. A 45-year-old woman who was shot in the leg managed to get herself to St. Bernard Hospital on her own. Police said Monday that an additional victim had been identified, though details on that person's injuries were not released.

No officers were injured. No arrests have been made as of Monday.

The event was an annual picnic held in Washington Park for people who once lived in the Robert Taylor Homes, the public housing complex that stretched roughly two miles along State Street in Bronzeville and once housed more than 27,000 residents across more than 4,000 apartments before it was torn down in 2007. A woman who attended the picnic and gave only her first name, Tasha, said the gathering had drawn about 200 people by Saturday evening and had been calm for most of the day.

"It was peaceful all day," she said, standing near the park Sunday morning as Chicago Park District crews collected trash left behind after the shooting. "Then for a minute I heard what I thought were fireworks at first. Then they got closer, and scarier. I ran for it, and I couldn't get a good look at what was happening. The police response was pretty fast, seeing as how we're next to the hospital, and I just saw a bunch of people laying on the ground."

Tasha said she didn't see any argument or fight break out before the gunfire started. Food and other picnic supplies were still scattered across the grass Sunday morning, she said, because people ran before they had a chance to clean up. A separate family celebration nearby was also disrupted when the shooting broke out.

"It's just sad," Tasha said. "Everyone was having a good time. We do this once a year for the community to come out and eat together, enjoy the park. It's terrible."

Saturday's shooting was the fourth mass shooting tied to a large outdoor gathering in Chicago this summer. A shooting in late July wounded six people at a gathering in Humboldt Park. On July 4, two shootings connected to a gathering of hundreds of young people in Garfield Park left seven people wounded. In late June, two people opened fire on a crowd in Roseland, wounding at least 14.

Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the shooting Sunday on social media, writing that "through last night's shootings, we are reminded of the devastating impact of gun violence. In a matter of moments, a life can be taken, families can be forever changed, and communities can be left grieving."

Chicago police have not said whether they believe Saturday's shooting was connected to a specific dispute or targeted at particular people in the crowd. As of Monday, detectives had not identified a suspect and were still reviewing evidence collected from the park.