A Chicago man with a long criminal record, including convictions for murder, attempted murder, and carjacking, has been charged in relation to a mass shooting at a Halloween party in the North Lawndale neighborhood.
William Groves, 48, a six-time convicted felon, is now facing 15 counts of attempted murder, as reported by ABC7 Chicago. The incident occurred last week at Studio 1258, a local event venue. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling provided a detailed account of the events.
According to officials, Groves was among the 100 attendees at the party at Studio 1258. Following a disturbance inside the venue, he was asked to leave. However, Groves returned later, armed with a firearm, and opened fire.
Groves' criminal history is extensive. In 2008, he was convicted of attempted murder. His record also includes arrests for murder, carjacking, kidnapping, and armed robbery. He is due to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon.
The victims of the shooting range in age from 26 to 53 and include nine men and six women. Two of the victims are critically injured, while the others are reported to be in good-to-fair condition.
CNN reports that Groves is now facing 15 felony counts of aggravated battery with discharge of a firearm, one felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and one felony count of aggravated discharge of a firearm in an occupied building.
ABC7 reported that one of the victims, Paris Brown, known as "Tree," was shot in the back. The bullet traveled and is still lodged in his skull. From his hospital bed, Tree recounted the horrifying experience, "People are on the floor. I couldn't really move anywhere, so I just started feeling myself getting shot. So, I just drop on the ground, and I kept hearing the shooter shooting. It sounded like he was never going to stop."
Mayor Brandon Johnson and other officials at Tuesday's news conference credited the community for providing information that led to a swift arrest. Meanwhile, Studio 1258 will be closed under the city's summary closure ordinance due to a history of unlicensed events. The party promoters maintain they did everything possible to ensure the event was safe.
Superintendent Snelling stressed, "He is a convicted felon who should not have had a gun."
Despite Illinois having the seventh-strongest gun safety laws in the country and the ninth-lowest rate of gun ownership, according to Everytown research, the state has the ninth highest rate of gun homicides in the country.
Furthermore, 80% of all homicides in Illinois involve a firearm, as reported by One Aim Illinois. The same source also revealed that Black individuals, who make up only 14.6% of the population, account for nearly 50% of all firearm deaths in Illinois.
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