At least one person killed, over 20 injured in shooting near US city of Chicago

At least one person has been killed and 23 others have been injured in a mass shooting at an event on the suburbs of the US city of Chicago.

According to the US media, the Sunday shooting took place at a parking lot in the village of Willowbrook, located some 37 kilometers (23 miles) from Chicago.

At least two of the injured are in a critical condition and have been rushed to nearby hospitals along with others following the shooting.

"An unknown number of suspects fired multiple rounds from multiple weapons into the crowd," the police said in a statement.

The identity of the suspects as well as their motive is under investigation.

The victims were among hundreds of people, who were celebrating Juneteenth -- a holiday that commemorates emancipation of enslaved African Americans -- at a local parking lot.

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"It was just chaos. There were sirens coming from like every direction. There were just hundreds of cop cars ... It was just a lot," said Nicole Kozney, an area resident.

"Out of nowhere, there was a major gunfight for like 30 seconds. I'd say, 60 plus rounds. You could tell it was two different groups of people shooting at each other," said witness Bartosz Majerczyk.

In addition to those shot, several victims were treated at area hospitals for injuries they suffered while attempting to flee the area, according to the sheriff's office.

Mass shootings are relatively a daily occurrence in the United States, which suffers from a gun violence epidemic.

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No place, public or private, has been spared by the scourge of gun violence in America: schools, university campuses, hospitals, shopping malls, nightclubs, sports centers and people’s living rooms.

On Tuesday, 10 people were shot in downtown Denver as crowds gathered to celebrate the Nuggets’ first NBA championship.

Last Sunday, three people were killed and three others wounded in a shooting at a house in Maryland, while earlier, nine people had been wounded in a mass shooting in San Francisco during a party.

The US is the only country with more civilian guns than the population – 120 guns for every one hundred Americans – as per the Small Arms Survey (SAS), a Swiss research project.  

According to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks shootings in the US, 647 mass shootings were recorded in 2022, killing 44,287 people.

The 2022 figure was slightly less than in 2021 when 692 mass shootings left 45,010 people dead across the country.

A Gallup poll from October 2022 showed a majority of Americans are in favor of gun control, with a 57% majority of all Americans saying they want stricter laws covering the sale of firearms.

The National Rifle Association, however, still remains a very active and politically powerful lobby group in the United States. It uses negative campaign tactics to ensure legislators fully understand that their participation in any moves to pass any gun safety legislation will have severe consequences and may spell the end of their political career.

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