In the early hours of Sunday, June 18, 2023–during a Juneteenth celebration attended by hundreds–at least one individual was shot and killed with at least 22 others injured during a mass shooting in Willowbrook, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. The shooting took place at a strip mall located at Route 83 and Honeysuckle Rose Lane.
Steve Vogel, a Tri-State Fire Protection District battalion chief, stated that the fire department had transported 10 of the injured to local hospitals, out of which one person succumbed to their injuries and another was in critical condition.
“Another seven people transported themselves to hospitals,” Vogel revealed. By later that Sunday, DuPage County sheriff’s office spokesperson Robert Carroll confirmed that a total of 23 people had been shot, including the deceased.
Kembley Carlton, a resident of the neighboring Hinsdale Lake Terrace Apartments, shared her experience: “It was just a mess. We saw all these people running.” Carlton’s daughter was present at the scene of the shooting and managed to escape unscathed, albeit with minor injuries from a fall. The increase in gun violence in the area was a rising concern for Carlton, who asserted, “We have never had this problem before. Now it’s bad over here. They’re just shooting and don’t care.”
The ripple effect of the incident reached many in the community. Jennifer Dunski, whose family resides in the area and whose niece’s friend was killed in the shooting, reflected on the escalating violence: “I’m used to the neighborhood being kind of crazy, but this is a whole new level of crazy and it’s heartbreaking.”
The aftermath also led to property damage, with resident Twanda Carroll finding her house riddled with bullet holes upon returning from a trip. “They shot through my bedroom window. And it went through my closet, through my hallway, into my kitchen,” she recounted. Carroll added that her coworker had to run for his life during the shooting, and his girlfriend was among the injured.
The tragedy of the incident was also echoed in the official statements. U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) whose district borders the site of the shooting, called for change: “We live in a tragic reality where you cannot go to school, go to the grocery store, go to your place of worship, or celebrate holidays like the Fourth of July or Juneteenth without fear of being shot,” he said. “Change is needed — we cannot allow this to be the status quo.”
