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The victim who was killed in a mass shooting at a Juneteenth parking lot party in Willowbrook, Illinois, was identified Monday by the coroner’s office, while no arrests have been announced a day after the carnage.
Reginald Meadows, 31, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the abdomen, the DuPage County coroner confirmed Monday to Fox News Digital.
The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office described how a “peaceful gathering” to celebrate Juneteenth held in a strip mall parking lot in Willowbrook, about 20 miles southwest of Chicago, suddenly turned violent around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
According to the sheriff’s office, an “unknown number of suspects fired multiple shots into the crowd with multiple weapons,” WGN-TV reported. In addition to Meadows’ death, nearly two dozen people were injured in the attack.
SHOOTING AT JUNETTENTH FESTIVAL OF ILLINOIS LEAVES AT LEAST 20 WOUNDED, 1 DEAD
“We know of 22 victims who were injured and one victim was killed by gunfire. Several other victims were also injured trying to flee the area,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Police tape blocks an area at the scene of a nighttime mass shooting at a strip mall in Willowbrook, Illinois, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)
Authorities did not immediately release the condition of the injured.
A motive for the attack was not immediately known and no arrests have been announced as of Monday.
DuPage County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Robert Carroll said authorities were interviewing “persons of interest” in the shooting, the Daily Herald reported.
The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital Monday that no further updates were available.
Police were in the strip mall ahead of the shooting to monitor the rally, but were called away due to a nearby brawl, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators view the scene of a nighttime mass shooting at a strip mall in Willowbrook, Illinois, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)
“They heard gunshots and immediately returned to the crime scene,” the sheriff’s office said.
“We’ve transported countless victims from the crime scene. Others just walked into area hospitals,” said Eric Swanson, deputy chief of the sheriff’s office.
SYRACUSE POLICE SAYS AT LEAST 13 PEOPLE SHOT BY CARS, CITIES OR GENDER AT HUNDREDS OF MASS ASSEMBLY
Rick Wagner, who lives nearby, said there were at least 300 people on the property at 10:30 p.m. “We’ve had several conversations with the police” about large groups gathering there, Wagner told the Daily Herald.
A witness, Markeshia Avery, said it was a Juneteenth celebration. June 19 is the federal holiday commemorating the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned they had been freed—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Investigators view the scene of a nighttime mass shooting at a strip mall in Willowbrook, Illinois, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)
“We just started hearing shooting so we fell down until they stopped,” Avery told WLS-TV.
Another witness, Craig Lotcie, said, “Everyone was running and it was chaos.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said in a statement that he was following the investigation.
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“Gathering for a holiday gathering should be a joyous occasion, not a time when gunfire erupts and families are forced to run for safety,” Pritzker said.
The White House released a statement Sunday afternoon saying the “President and First Lady are thinking of the dead and injured in last night’s Illinois shooting. We have reached out to assist state and local leaders in the wake of this tragedy.” a community Juneteenth celebration.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering politics, crime, police and more. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @danimwallace.
