4 Dead & 14 Injured in Drive-By Shooting Outside Rapper Mello Buckzz’s Album Release Party

Four people were killed and another 14 were left injured in a drive-by shooting in Chicago’s River North neighborhood on Wednesday night (July 2), according to the Associated Press.

The shooting took place outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge, where Chi-town rapper Mello Buckzz was hosting a release party for her Hollyhood project, which arrived on Thursday (July 3).

A night of celebration quickly turned into a nightmare for Buckzz as her boyfriend and a very close friend were among those killed in the shooting.

“We was having so much fun in our private little life, couldn’t leave each other alone glued to my hip everyday. It’s not a night we ain’t spend together,” Buckzz wrote to her Instagram Story. “I’m so f—ing angry. U was woke I held yo hand until I couldn’t. U talked to me. Clearly ion get it boo, I’m f—ked up.”

The rapper added: “My heart broke into so many pieces rn it’s unbelievable. Why is this happening to me? … I don’t wish this typa pain on nobody dam my f—king crew.”

Three of the injured shooting victims reportedly remain in critical condition, police said on Thursday, the AP reports. Among those killed were two men (24 and 25 years old) and two women (26 and 27 years old), according to NBC Chicago.

“You could hear boom, boom, boom, boom. You know, round after round,” witness Crystal Gray told ABC7. “It’s awful. People was just falling and screaming. I didn’t walk over here, I stood across the street and I saw all of them falling.”

Pastor Donovan Price described the scene to the AP. “When I arrived last night, it was absolute chaos, from people screaming to blood on the streets, to people lying on the street,” he said. “The worst I’ve seen — just people wanting to find their other people, find who was alive, finding where their phones were because they dropped them in the chaos.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the tragic shooting in a press conference on Thursday. “Shootings like these are a tragic reminder of how far we still have to go as a city,” he said. “Shooting into a crowd is not the best of who we are. It is unacceptable and we will not stand for that in the city of Chicago. We are frustrated, but we are also grieving. We will not rest until there is full accountability.”

Billboard has reached out to the Chicago Police Department.

Mello Buckzz released her Hollyhood project on Thursday with features from fellow Chicago native G Herbo, Monaleo, Star Bandz and Chuckyy.