Police said the weekend included teen gatherings, scattered shootings and a crash that sent officers to hospitals.
CHICAGO, IL — At least 22 people were wounded by gunfire and five Chicago police officers were hurt by a car during Memorial Day weekend violence that stretched across the city from Friday night into Sunday, police and city officials said.
The violence marked a tense opening to Chicago’s summer season, when police often increase patrols for large crowds, lakefront activity and holiday travel. Detectives were investigating several shootings, including one that wounded four teenagers in Little Village, while prosecutors reviewed charges against an 18-year-old driver accused of striking officers near Roosevelt Road and Loomis Street.
The officer injuries happened about 3:20 a.m. Sunday in the 1200 block of South Loomis Street, near the ABLA Brooks Homes on the Near West Side. Police said officers were on foot trying to break up a large gathering when a blue sedan traveled west in the eastbound lanes of Roosevelt Road and hit them. The car then struck a police vehicle, a pole and a fence before stopping. Five officers were taken to hospitals, and officials said they were expected to recover. Alderman Jason Ervin said the gathering appeared tied to an after-prom party that got out of control. “Normally we do not have problems in the Brooks Homes for Memorial Day,” Ervin said, adding that the incident caught many people off guard.
Police said the driver, an 18-year-old man, was arrested and a gun was recovered from the car. Officials did not immediately say whether he was connected to the gathering. Charges were pending Sunday. Resident Marcellous Johnson said the crowd grew after midnight and included hundreds of teenagers. He said police vehicles kept arriving as more young people came into the area. Mayor Brandon Johnson said Sunday that the episode showed the danger of unauthorized gatherings. “The accountability mechanism cannot just be with teenagers,” the mayor said. He said parents must know where their children are late at night. About 30 minutes after the officers were hit, police said a 19-year-old man was shot in an alley in the 1100 block of West Roosevelt Road. Police did not say whether that shooting was tied to the crowd.
Another major case unfolded at 3:02 a.m. Sunday in Little Village, where officers near the 2500 block of South Washtenaw Avenue heard gunfire and found four teenagers wounded. Police said an 18-year-old woman was shot in the right buttock, a 16-year-old girl was shot in the left calf, a 14-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to the right arm, and another 16-year-old girl suffered a graze wound to the right leg. All four were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition. Police said a male suspect ran off before officers arrived. Harrison Area detectives were investigating, and police had not announced arrests in that shooting by late Sunday.
The weekend’s shootings began Friday evening and continued through Sunday afternoon, according to police accounts. A 32-year-old man was shot in the foot while in a backyard in the 5200 block of South Honore Street. A 38-year-old man was shot in the hand while driving in the 4100 block of South Karlov Avenue. Two women, ages 31 and 32, were shot while sitting in a gray car in the 700 block of North Avers Avenue. On Saturday, a 32-year-old man was wounded in the 7300 block of South Carpenter Street after police said two people approached and opened fire. By Sunday, the list of victims included people ranging in age from 14 to 51.
Several Sunday shootings happened within a few hours of the West Side disturbance. Police said a 17-year-old boy standing outside in the 2000 block of West Randolph Street was shot throughout his body and taken to Stroger Hospital in serious but stable condition. A 17-year-old boy was asleep in a home in the 1000 block of West Thorndale Avenue when a bullet pierced a window and struck him in the ankle. A 25-year-old woman was inside a home in the 1400 block of South St. Louis Avenue when gunfire believed to have come from outside struck her. She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious condition. In the 600 block of East 131st Street, a 29-year-old woman was shot three times in the leg inside a residence and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition. Police said a suspect in that case was taken into custody.
The violence came one day after Mayor Johnson and Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling opened a Memorial Day weekend anti-violence push in Englewood. City leaders have repeatedly warned that large unsanctioned teen gatherings can turn dangerous, especially when crowds block streets or draw people carrying guns. The city has faced similar problems in past warm-weather weekends, including downtown and West Side gatherings promoted on social media. Officials have said youth outreach, added patrols and parental involvement are part of the city’s response. Police did not immediately connect all of Sunday’s shootings to teen gatherings, and several victims told officers they heard gunfire before realizing they had been hit.
Detectives were still sorting out which cases were linked, if any, and which were separate shootings spread across the city. In several incidents, police said victims were uncooperative or could not provide a full account of where the shooting happened. Investigators were reviewing video, witness statements and recovered evidence. The case involving the injured officers could move first because police arrested the driver at the scene. The Little Village shooting remained open late Sunday, and police had not released the name of a suspect. Authorities also had not announced a motive in most of the weekend shootings.
Neighbors near Roosevelt and Loomis described a chaotic scene of flashing police lights, young people in the street and officers moving in to disperse the crowd. Cellphone video from the area showed a heavy police response after the crash. Johnson, the nearby resident, said the car was not moving at extreme speed but still hit hard enough to knock officers down. Ervin said he hoped the officers would recover fully and return to work. Mayor Johnson said he knew where his own son was after prom and said families share responsibility for getting children home safely.
As of Sunday night, police reported no deaths in the citywide Memorial Day weekend shootings, but several victims remained hospitalized. Detectives continued investigating the shootings, and charges were still pending against the 18-year-old driver accused of striking the officers.
Author note: Last updated May 24, 2026.