18 Shot at Rapper's Album Release Party in Chicago

Four people have died from gunshot wounds and 14 others have been hospitalized following a drive-by shooting in Chicago, police said Thursday, per the AP. Four people were in critical condition, per the Chicago Sun-Times. The shooting happened late Wednesday in Chicago's River North neighborhood. Several media outlets said it happened outside a restaurant and lounge that had hosted an album release party for a rapper, identified as Mello Buckzz. Someone opened fire on a crowd standing outside, police said, and the vehicle immediately drove away. No one was in custody, police said.

Victims were taken to several local hospitals. Sources tell NBC Chicago that Mello Buckzz's boyfriend and best friend were killed. A 25-year-old man who was shot in the head and one man and two women who were shot in the chest were pronounced dead, per the Sun-Times. It describes the critically injured as "a 31-year-old shot several times, a 24-year-old shot in the back, a 25-year-old shot in the leg, and a 21-year-old shot in the face." The 10 others, aged 24 to 32, are in good condition, police said. The Sun-Times notes the Artis Restaurant and Lounge, where the shooting occurred, "is at the same location of a bar the city shut down over two years ago after a fatal shooting happened outside."