A mass shooting in Washington Park Saturday night became the city’s largest of the year when Chicago police reported that a total of 15 people had been shot, leaving one man dead.

Just before midnight on the 5400 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, police sources said a pair of unknown shooters dressed in all black and ski masks shot at the gathering from across the street, and that someone from the crowd returned fire. Officers later recovered 10 .40-caliber casings on the east side of Cottage Grove and another 26 shell casings, including rifle casings, in the park itself, sources said.

The 35-year-old man who was shot was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center, according to police. The Cook County medical examiner’s office later identified him as Rontonio M. Guterz, of the River North neighborhood.

CPD said fourteen more victims were injured: A 47-year-old woman who was listed in serious condition, four people in fair condition, and six in good condition. The status of three more victims was unknown, according to police. Area 1 detectives are investigating.

Ald. Jeanette Taylor, who represents Washington Park, said she drove past the incident twice Saturday. The first time was on her way to an event, and Taylor said lots of people and cars were gathered for festivities. Driving back home, she said South Cottage Grove Avenue was “very chaotic,” with police present and cars on grass.

“People were enjoying themselves; there was music; there was eating and laughing,” Taylor said. “None of that was going on the second time I drove past.”

She said she woke up Sunday morning to a text message briefing her on the incident. It didn’t contain information on what the gathering was for or what type of gun was used, although Taylor said the model didn’t matter. What was important, she said, was that someone brought a firearm into a park with a playground and homes nearby.

“I’m disappointed, and I just don’t know what to do,” Taylor said.

On Sunday morning, picnic debris littered a large area of the park within view of UChicago Medicine. Four shoes were scattered in the grass along with food trays, smashed cups and a Lime scooter. A woman and her daughter searched for a lost pair of glasses without success.

Saturday’s shooting follows several others at large gatherings this summer. Minutes before the incident, a shooting at a gathering in Douglas left one man dead and two others injured at a gathering. A gunman killed two people in June after firing a rifle and handgun into a gathering in New City, following a string of similar attacks in the area since the beginning of May. Fourteen people were injured in a drive-by shooting at a Juneteenth gathering in Roseland. In July, a Humboldt Park shooting left six hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

“We remain steadfast in our work to break these cycles of trauma by continuing to stop the flow of guns into our communities and investing in the resources that help prevent violence before it occurs,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a post on social media Sunday morning. “My administration will continue to show up for those impacted by these violent acts by providing access to victim services and mental health support.”

The Wentworth (2nd) District, which covers the Kenwood, Armour Square, Oakland, Douglas, Hyde Park, Englewood, Woodlawn, Washington Park, Fuller Park and Grand Boulevard neighborhoods, has seen a 43% spike in homicides this year compared to the same period in 2025, police data shows. The statistics, updated Aug. 23, show that shootings overall in the district have increased by nearly half, but are still markedly lower than they were in 2022 following years of post-pandemic declines.

CPD’s Area 1, which covers the Wentworth District as well as much of the mid-South and Southwest Sides, has seen an overall spike in shootings and homicides this year, police data shows. Across the rest of the city, shootings have continued to dip.

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