Willowbrook Juneteenth mass shooting: 'We dropped to the ground and they just kept shooting'

Man killed in Willowbrook mass shooting identified

A 31-year-old man has been identified as the person fatally shot during a Juneteenth celebration in near suburban Willowbrook.

UNINCORPORATED WILLOWBROOK, Illinois - An event commemorating Juneteenth turned deadly in unincorporated Willowbrook on Saturday night, ending with a mass shooting that killed a man and left 22 others wounded. Several others were injured trying to escape the chaos.

It was the third year for this event near Route 83 and Honeysuckle Lane. About 300 people had been there for hours.

Just before 12:30 a.m., police were notified of a fight which occurred between a group of women. Soon after, police said an unknown number of suspects fired multiple rounds from multiple weapons into the crowd.

One dead, 22 wounded in mass shooting at party near Willowbrook

One person was killed and 22 more were wounded by gunfire at a "peaceful Juneteenth gathering" in Unincorporated Willowbrook overnight, according to the DuPage County Sheriff. Nate Rodgers reports.

Willowbrook resident Reginald Meadows, 31, was shot in the abdomen and pronounced dead, according to the DuPage County Coroner.

Markeisha Avery was there.

"We just started hearing shooting coming from behind, so we dropped to the ground and they just kept shooting," Avery said.

Bullets struck multiple vehicles and even entered Tawnada Carroll’s apartment. A bullet went through her bedroom window and her closet and the patio glass was shattered. Fortunately, she was not home at the time.

20 shot, 1 killed in Willowbrook shooting

As many as 20 people were reportedly shot in SW suburban Willowbrook early Sunday morning and one person has died. People were gathered for a Junteenth celebration, according to a witness when the gunfire erupted.

By daylight, families could be seen returning to the area to retrieve their vehicles. Cups, liquor bottles, clothes and other debris littered the parking lot where the shooting occurred.

Detectives spent the day combing through surveillance footage and speaking with people who live nearby. A majority of the attendees were not from the immediate area, residents say.

"My heart is hurting. Do they understand the point of Juneteenth? We should be having fun, celebrating and loving each other," Carroll said.

Police said no suspects are in custody.