Chicago, Illinois – A tragic incident unfolded in Chicago on Saturday night as a young girl lost her life and multiple others were injured in a mass shooting that took place outside an outdoor family gathering in the city.
According to the Chicago Police Department’s Deputy Chief Don Jerome, officers responded to the scene following an alert from ShotSpotter indicating 18 rounds fired in the area near West 52nd Street and South Damen Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found multiple individuals shot on the block and immediately began administering life-saving measures like tourniquets and chest seals.
A total of eight individuals were shot in the incident, including five adults aged between 19 and 40, and three children – a one-year-old boy, a seven-year-old boy, and a nine-year-old girl who tragically succumbed to her injuries after being shot in the head.
The family has since identified the nine-year-old girl as Ariana Molina. The shooting incident accounted for a total of 10 injured people, not eight as originally reported, including two men aged 36 and 38, five women between 19 and 40, and three boys aged one, eight, and nine.
The shooting was deemed by Jerome as “not a random act of violence” and likely gang-related, as the victims were gathered outside for a family gathering at the time. The suspect’s actions were described as horrific and unacceptable by Jerome, who urged anyone with information to contact the authorities.
Joseph Molina, the father of the young victim, recounted the tragic events, stating that the shooting occurred during a party celebrating his sister’s confirmation when the gunfire erupted unexpectedly. The family was about to cut the cake when chaos ensued.
As of the latest update, no suspects were in custody, and the police indicated that there were likely two shooters involved. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson expressed condolences for the victims of the shooting and condemned the heinous act of violence that resulted in the loss of a young life.