Chicago has long had a notorious reputation for criminal violence, and that reputation was once again affirmed by a horrifying incident this week.

Late on Wednesday evening, a drive-by shooting in the Windy City left multiple people dead and many other victims wounded.   

Four people were killed following party celebrating rap album release

According to The Hill, the carnage unfolded at roughly 11:00 p.m. outside of Artis Restaurant and Lounge, which is located in Chicago's River North neighborhood.

Someone who is employed at the nightclub explained that an album release party for Chicago rapper Mello Buckzz had ended when gunfire erupted, resulting in four people losing their lives and another 14 sustaining injuries.

Pastor Donovan Price was present for the aftermath, and he was quoted as saying that the situation amounted to "absolute chaos."

"From people screaming, to blood on the streets, to people laying on the streets. Just a massive police presence. Just horrific. More than I’ve ever seen," he recalled.

The Hill noted that Artis Restaurant and Lounge issued a statement declaring itself to be a "space where Black, Brown, Queer, and allied communities could gather, be celebrated, and feel at home in River North."

Governor laments that "another community is terrorized by gun violence"

"And what happened last night disrupted it in the most painful way. Our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones," the establishment stressed.

Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker reacted to the tragedy with a statement of his own that read, "Devastating news from Chicago as another community is terrorized by gun violence."

Devastating news from Chicago as another community is terrorized by gun violence.

Keeping those affected in my thoughts — our neighborhoods shouldn't have to endure these tragedies.

Even as we’ve seen crime diminishing, we still can and must do better to keep Illinoisans safe.

— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) July 3, 2025

"Keeping those affected in my thoughts — our neighborhoods shouldn't have to endure these tragedies," Pritzker continued before adding, "Even as we’ve seen crime diminishing, we still can and must do better to keep Illinoisans safe."

Pritzker has signed some of America's toughest anti-gun laws

While Pritzker has long supported curtailing the right to bear arms as a solution to violence, Illinois and Chicago already have some of America's most onerous gun restrictions.

Two years ago, he signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act, a piece of legislation which banned most semiautomatic rifles while also limiting the capacity of magazines.

"For the past four years, my administration and my colleagues in the State Capitol have been battling the powerful forces of the NRA to enshrine the strongest and most effective gun violence legislation that we possibly can," Pritzker said at the time.