America's first "National Independence Day" was marked by widespread violence and chaos breaking out at Juneteenth celebrations in California, Illinois, South Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, North Carolina and Colorado.
A couple celebrating Puerto Rican Day in Chicago, Illinois with a large Puerto Rican flag on Saturday night, which now falls on the same date as the new Juneteenth federal holiday, was filmed being pulled out of their car and shot in the street by a mob of black men.
[WARNING: GRAPHIC]
This happened in Humboldt Park Chicago last night. Couple was pulled out of their car and shot. He died, she is in critical condition.
At least 21 people were shot in Chicago overnight, with three people having died from their injuries. pic.twitter.com/5wtmWGOIoq
A 24-year-old father was shot and killed while a woman was severely injured Saturday night in the middle of a street while crowds celebrated Puerto Rican People’s Day, according to local reports.
The incident unfolded around 9:00 p.m., near the intersection of Division Street and Kedzie Avenue, CBS 2 Chicago reported.
An unidentified individual live-streamed the incident on Facebook, according to CBS 2 Chicago. The video appears to show Gyovanni Arzuaga and his unidentified female passenger getting dragged out of a car by a group of individuals.
The duo is seen lying on the ground near the driver’s side door before the group that dragged them out of the car scatters and a man walks up to the pair and shoots them at point blank range.
Arzuaga was taken to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, police said, according to the Chicago Sun Times. The woman was also taken to the hospital in critical condition after sustaining a shot to the neck, according to the report.
Photographs of the victims were shared on social media:
You may have seen the horrifying video of a man and woman being dragged from their car and shot yesterday evening. Man died, woman critically injured. This is the last photo the man, Gyovanny Arzuaga, posted to Facebook yesterday afternoon. He was 24. #Chicagopic.twitter.com/1ugwc01ALK
Video shows the crowd fleeing for their lives as shots rang out.
Police said they "located six victims, five males aged 16-27 and one female, 22, suffering from gunshot wounds," ABC 7 News reported.
"A 22-year-old man from San Francisco was pronounced deceased at the hospital."
Juneteenth revelers were filmed twerking on top of and around a responding ambulance:
Shooting at Oakland CA Juneteenth celebrations last night, leave 1 dead and 5 injured. This is how people reacted when the EMTs arrived. pic.twitter.com/AcFPciJuzq
Video out of Long Branch, New Jersey shows another violent mob celebrating Juneteenth National Independence Day by attacking a white woman who had apparently come to join in the revelry:
Juneteenth party turns violent in Long Branch, NJ (Pier Village)
Local police advised residents to avoid the area, dispatching officers in riot gear to quell the unrest as retail employees, many of whom are under the age of 18, remained trapped in their places of employment as the crowd targeted storefronts for destruction. Additionally, police advised that “numerous fights” involving attacks on officers had broken out in the streets.
“Police have area locked down due to riots in the area,” a bulletin from the Ocean County Scanner read as the Juneteenth violence played out. “Parents are reporting their children are locked in businesses they work in with no way out. Reports of police in riot gear trying to control the scene. Numerous fights involving police, and vandalism. Avoid the area.”
Video footage recorded at the scene of the riotous Juneteenth celebration shows a pair of black women ruthlessly beating a white female attendee, as countless members of the crowd surrounded the group cheering on the violence and, at times, throwing their own jabs at the victim of the attack.
Additional video shows a mob of hundreds of rioters tearing through city streets as police struggled to keep the situation under control. As has been seen in recent race riots throughout the country, several rioters took breaks from the action to twerk while others danced on the tops of moving vehicles.
A woman shot at police during a Juneteenth National Independence Day celebration in Flint, Michigan and was killed after police fired back:
Authorities say a police officer returned fire against Sykes, who allegedly drove up to the officer and began shooting during a Juneteenth celebration on Saturday. https://t.co/l0u2TL7KRE
Multiple shootings took place in Clover, South Carolina:
The York County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two separate shootings that happened at a Juneteenth celebration in Clover, S.C. Saturday. At least three people were shot in one shooting. Deputies say someone shot at a car in a separate shooting. https://t.co/66SOquQYhV
One man was killed and four other people were injured in a Juneteenth mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado:
LATEST: A man was killed and four other people wounded in a mass shooting in Aurora at a gathering that was “related to a Juneteenth celebration,” police said. https://t.co/gkmm4DCnlm
Aurora police reported that the shooting "was related to a Juneteenth celebration" and said they recovered 114 shell casings.
UPDATE: The gathering in the parking lot where the shooting broke out was related to a Juneteenth celebration at a unit in this strip mall. Suspect(s) are at-large. Anyone who witnessed this incident or has information is asked to contact @CrimeStoppersCO.
"One person was killed and four others were injured during a Juneteenth celebration in Indiana early Sunday morning, the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit (CMHU) said in a press release posted by CNN affiliate WSBT," CNN reported Monday:
Officers arrived at a bar in Granger, Indiana, around 4 a.m. local time following reports of a shooting in the parking lot during a "Juneteenth Summer Bash," according to the affiliate.
— Joe #wtpBLUE #DemVoice1 #ONEV1 z21 #Nikon (@KneiserJoe) June 21, 2021
The victim who died was a 26-year-old man, WSBT reported. Four others sustained non-life threatening injuries in the shooting.
Evidence collected at the scene "suggests multiple weapons were discharged in the area," police said.
At least 21 people were shot on Juneteenth and overnight in Chicago alone, WGNTV reports.
Here's just a few of the shootings detailed in WGNTV's report:
- A 24-year-old man was killed and a woman in her 20s was critically injured in a shooting in the city’s Humboldt Park neighborhood Saturday night, according to police. Police said the two individuals were in the 3200 block of West Division Street at approximately 9:13 p.m. when two to three unknown perpetrators attacked them and began shooting. The man was struck once to the head and was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The woman was struck to the neck and was transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. There is no one in custody and the shooting is under investigation.
- A 49-year-old man was injured in a shooting in the city’s West Town neighborhood Saturday night, according to police. Police said the man was standing outside in the 2500 block of West Augusta Boulevard at approximately 9:58 p.m. when he heard several shots fired and felt pain. The man said he believed the perpetrator was an occupant inside a black SUV that fled the scene after the shooting. The man was struck once to the hip and was transported to Stroger Hospital where he is in stable condition. There is no one in custody and the shooting is under investigation.
- Three people were injured in a shooting in Chicago’s New City neighborhood Saturday night, according to police. Police said a 34-year-old woman, a 62-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman were all standing on the sidewalk in the 5000 block of South Ada Street at approximately 10:15 p.m. when they heard shots and were struck. The 34-year-old woman was transported to Holy Cross Hospital in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the left leg. The 62-year-old man was struck in the groin and taken to University of Chicago Hospital in serious condition. The 27-year-old woman was taken to University of Chicago Hospital in serious condition with gunshot wounds to both legs. There is no one in custody and the shooting is under investigation.
- A 36-year-old man was injured in a shooting in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood early Sunday morning, according to police. Police said the man was standing on the street in the 5400 block of West Walton Street at approximately 12:42 a.m. when shots were fired and he was struck. The man was taken to West Suburban Hospital by a friend and is listed in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the left arm. There is no one in custody and the shooting is under investigation.
- A 32-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman entered Stroger Hospital with gunshot wounds at approximately 12:45 a.m. Sunday morning, according to police. The individuals said they were in a vehicle when they were struck by gunfire. The victims self-transported to the hospital and no location of the shooting is available. Both victims are listed in fair condition and there is no one in custody. The shooting is under investigation.
- A 30-year-old man was injured in the city’s Near North Side neighborhood Sunday morning, according to police. Police said the man was walking through a parking garage in the 400 block of North State Street at approximately 1:52 a.m. when several men approached and shots were fired. The man was struck in the right leg and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in fair condition. There is no one in custody and the shooting is under investigation.
- A 28-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man were injured in a shooting on the border of the city’s Humboldt Park and West Town neighborhoods Sunday morning, according to police. Police said the shooting took place in the 1200 block of North Kedzie Avenue just after 12:55 a.m., where the man was a passerby on the sidewalk and not believed to be the intended target. The woman was involved in a minor traffic crash just before she was shot, however further details are unknown. The woman was struck in the head and taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. The man was struck in the back and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition.
- A 29-year-old man was injured in a shooting in the city’s West Town neighborhood Sunday morning, according to police. Police said the man was traveling in his car in the 1100 block of North California Avenue at approximately 1:30 a.m. when he heard several shots and felt pain. The man was struck twice to the back of the neck and was taken to Stroger Hospital in stable condition. There is no one in custody and the shooting is under investigation.
- A 21-year-old man was shot to death on the border of the city’s Humboldt Park and West Town neighborhoods Sunday morning, according to police. Police said the man was the driver of a Jeep in traffic in the 3100 block of West Augusta Boulevard at approximately 1:38 a.m. when an occupant in an unknown vehicle pulled alongside the victim’s and fired a shot. The victim was taken by another man to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound to the head. There is no one in custody and the shooting is under investigation.
- A 32-year-old woman was shot to death in the city’s Logan Square neighborhood Sunday morning, according to police. Police said the woman was a front passenger in a car headed southbound in the 2100 block of North Oakley Avenue just after 1 a.m. when another unknown car pulled up alongside the victim’s car and opened fire. The woman was dropped off at St. Mary’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead. No one is in custody and the shooting is under investigation.
At least 7 people were killed and 40 were injured in 10 mass shootings across the US over Juneteenth weekend, CNN reports.
America's first "National Independence Day" was marked by widespread violence and chaos breaking out at Juneteenth celebrations in California, Illinois, South Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, North Carolina and Colorado.