Seven people, mostly teenagers, were shot in two separate incidents early Sunday morning on the same block in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago, according to police. The shootings occurred within minutes of each other on the 3800 block of West Maypole Avenue.

The first shooting was reported around 1:25 a.m. when a 17-year-old girl was struck in the chest. She was taken to Stroger Hospital and remains in critical condition. Approximately nine to ten minutes later, six more individuals were shot on the same block. Those victims included two 17-year-old boys, an 18-year-old woman, an 18-year-old man, a 19-year-old man, and a 20-year-old man, all of whom were standing outside at the time. They were transported to Stroger and Mount Sinai hospitals and are reportedly in good condition.

In a separate but related incident at about 1:48 a.m., a 33-year-old man was found wounded by gunfire nearly a mile away on the 4300 block of West Van Buren Street. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition and later died from his injuries. Area Four Detectives are leading the investigation, and no arrests have been made in connection with the shootings.

Local residents report ongoing concerns about safety and law enforcement response. Etta Johnson, who has lived on the block for 25 years, filmed the gathering that preceded the shootings from her bedroom window. She described a large crowd arriving from nearby Garfield Park and being dropped off by rideshare vehicles, with many individuals drinking and some engaging in fights. Johnson said she initially called police around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday but felt the response was delayed and inadequate to control the situation. She characterized recent years in the neighborhood as increasingly chaotic, particularly citing large gatherings and “teen takeovers” that lack sufficient supervision or safe spaces.

Despite Chicago recording its lowest homicide count since 1965 in 2025 and continued declines in shootings through that year, some residents feel these statistics do not capture their lived experiences of violence and disorder. Johnson expressed frustration at the perceived lack of resources dedicated to the area and shared her hope that new community facilities, like the Sankofa Village Wellness Center—which opened in April with funding and partnerships involving the YMCA of Metro Chicago, Rush University Medical Center, and Erie Family Health Centers—might provide alternatives for youth engagement.

Discussions continue in the city on how to address such incidents and the broader challenges related to youth gatherings, public safety, and community well-being in neighborhoods like West Garfield Park.