A mass shooting in Washington Park Saturday night became the city’s largest of the year when Chicago police reported that a total of 15 people had been shot, leaving one man dead.
An unknown gunman opened fire into a crowd just before midnight on the 5400 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, police said.
A 35-year-old man who was shot was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center, according to police. CPD said fourteen more victims were injured: A 47-year-old woman who was listed in serious condition, four people in fair condition, and six in good condition. The status of three more victims was unknown, according to police.
Ald. Jeanette Taylor, who represents Washington Park, said she drove past the incident twice Saturday. The first time was on her way to an event, and Taylor said lots of people and cars were gathered for festivities. Driving back home, she said South Cottage Grove Avenue was “very chaotic,” with police present and cars on grass.
“People were enjoying themselves; there was music; there was eating and laughing,” Taylor said. “None of that was going on the second time I drove past.”
She said she woke up Sunday morning to a text message briefing her on the incident. It didn’t contain information on what the gathering was for or what type of gun was used, although Taylor said the model didn’t matter. What was important, she said, was that someone brought a firearm into a park with a playground and homes nearby.
“I’m disappointed, and I just don’t know what to do,” Taylor said.
On Sunday morning, picnic debris littered a large area of the park within view of UChicago Medicine. Four shoes were scattered in the grass along with food trays, smashed cups and a Lime scooter. A woman and her daughter searched for a lost pair of glasses without success.
CPD wrote in an email to the Tribune Sunday morning that no updates were available, including any information on the shooter. Area 1 detectives are investigating.
Saturday’s incident follows several other shootings at large gatherings this summer. 14 people were injured in a shooting at a Juneteenth gathering in Roseland. In July, a Humboldt Park shooting left six hospitalized with gunshot wounds. A gunman killed two people in June after firing a rifle and handgun into a gathering in New City, following a string of similar attacks in the area since the beginning of May.
The Wentworth (2nd) District, which covers the Kenwood, Armour Square, Oakland, Douglas, Hyde Park, Englewood, Woodlawn, Washington Park, Fuller Park and Grand Boulevard neighborhoods, has seen a 43% spike in homicides this year compared to the same period in 2025, police data shows. The statistics, updated Aug. 23, show that shootings overall in the district have increased by nearly half, but are still markedly lower than they were in 2022 following years of post-pandemic declines.
CPD’s Area 1, which covers the Wentworth District as well as much of the mid-South and Southwest Sides, has seen an overall spike in shootings and homicides this year, police data shows. Across the rest of the city, shootings have continued to dip.