Chicago’s South Side turned deadly Saturday night as a peaceful reunion at Washington Park was shattered by gunfire, leaving 15 people shot and one father of three dead. The attack erupted at 11:37 p.m., shocking a crowd that had lingered past the park’s 11 p.m. closing.
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Masked men opened fire while police tried to clear the gathering, and a return shot added to the chaos.
Rontonio Guterz, a father of three, was hit six times and died, and his family now faces a funeral instead of a party.
By weekend’s end, Chicago recorded more than 40 shootings and three fatalities, prompting Gov. JB Pritzker to tweet that the Washington Park massacre “left Chicago mourning” and that “gun violence has no place here.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson posted a brief statement on X, condemning the bloodshed but offering no concrete plan, drawing criticism that leaders were merely reciting clichés.
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Pastor Corey Brooks, founder of New Beginnings Church of Chicago and CEO of Project H.O.O.D., warned that communities cannot ignore the root causes of violence.
He noted that “we know the problems and we refuse to solve them,” urging leaders to move beyond rhetoric and act.
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When shooters opened fire, no one asked about their race; mothers grabbed children and men hit the ground as panic spread.
Brooks emphasized that the victims’ humanity outweighs any racial narrative, calling for accountability rather than slogans about racial or social justice.
He added that if the shooters were white, officials would have reacted more swiftly, but when they are Black, leaders “bury this stink and move on.”
