The restaurant and lounge at the center of a mass shooting that killed four people and injured 14 others in Chicago’s River North neighborhood has been ordered closed by police.
Artis Restaurant and Lounge was hosting an album release party for Chicago rapper Mello Buckzz on Wednesday night when someone drove by and fired shots into crowds of people outside.
Ald. Brendan Reilly, who represents Chicago’s 42nd Ward, which includes the area, said he doesn’t think the particular address should be considered for a liquor license ever again – given its “horrible history.”
“Their guests were targeted by a gangland shooting,” he said. That’s on them. They knew that they were hosting an album release party for a local rapper on the Southeast Side who had rivals, so shame on them.”
Hush Chicago, the former nightclub at the location 311 W. Chicago Ave., was shut down in 2022 after a shooting. Chicago police made the decision, deeming the club a “public safety threat.“
Artis, the current venue, opened earlier this year.
“About a year ago a new operator shows up, wanting to open this restaurant as a place for inclusion and to promote the arts, no mention of album release parties for rappers,” Reilly said.
Victoria Street, the current venue’s resident DJ, said she’s “saddened for the people and saddened all the way around.”
“This is a layered issue stemming from continued violence and retaliation. Honestly, this is a cycle that we’re all very used, too, by being residents in Chicago,” she said. “I think we’re all just trying to process this and figure out how we’re going to go forward as a city.”
The owner of Artis declined NBC Chicago’s request for an interview, but did issue a statement on Instagram, writing in part:
“Artis was created as a safe space. A space where Black, Queer, and allied communities could gather, be celebrated, and feel at home in River North,” the statement read. “We’ve always led with that mission. And what happened last night disrupted it in the most painful way.”
Reilly, the local alderman, said residents shouldn’t have to worry for their lives at 11 p.m. in the middle of the week.
“I mean, I have residents that live within feet of this venue,” he said. “And they’re scared to death.”
A police source told NBC Chicago the shooting was captured on POD cameras and surveillance cameras outside of the venue, and multiple weapons were recovered from the area.
The search for multiple shooters continued Thursday evening.
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