A tragic incident unfolded at Mark Twain Elementary School in Chicago on the city’s Southwest Side, leaving two individuals dead following a shooting. The event occurred at 5134 S. Lotus Ave. in Garfield Ridge around 3:40 p.m., according to initial police reports.
Chicago Police reports indicate that the victims were both custodians of the school. Although their union membership status remains uncertain, Trumaine Reeves, executive vice president of SEIU Local 73, expressed sorrow. The union represents approximately 13,000 support staff within Chicago Public Schools. Reeves offered condolences, acknowledging the impact on both families and the broader school community.
Upon arrival, officers from the Chicago Lawn (8th) district discovered a 48-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to the head and a 63-year-old man with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Police found a firearm at the scene.
Both victims were transported in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where they were later pronounced dead.
The incident prompted a heavy police presence, with at least 10 squad cars stationed outside the school. Police tape surrounded the premises, and local residents observed the unfolding investigation with concern. Kelly Carrillo, a resident of the area for six years, remarked on the unusual activity. Initially indifferent to the traffic buildup, her attention turned when ambulances and fire crews arrived.
Carrillo recalled seeing paramedics transport one of the victims on a stretcher. With the school scheduled to open in two weeks, she expressed uncertainty about its reopening, noting the neighborhood’s typical tranquility.
Detectives from the Wentworth Area have undertaken the task of investigating the circumstances surrounding the tragic shooting.
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