1 Dead, 8 Injured from Shootings in Chicago’s Downtown Area Hours After Christmas Tree Lighting By Kimberlee Speakman

One person is dead and several others were injured after a pair of shootings that occurred in Chicago’s downtown area.

The Chicago Police Department confirmed that one person died and eight others were injured in the shootings, which occurred on Friday, Nov. 21, blocks away from Millennium Park, where a Christmas tree lighting was held hours earlier, according to CBS News, Fox 32 Chicago and NBC Chicago.

The first shooting occurred near the intersection of State and Randolph streets close to the Chicago Theatre at around 9:50 p.m. local time. Chicago police officers were on patrol when they heard gunshots being fired into a large group in the area. 

Officers found seven teenagers between the ages of 13-17 who sustained gunshot wounds to various parts of their bodies, per CBS News. They were transported to nearby hospitals in “good” and “fair” condition, according to Fox News Chicago.

2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins alleged in a post on X that “300 juveniles” were “rioting in the Loop” and that “at least 5 victims shot,” including “one critical with life threatening gunshot wound to torso.” He added, “Multiple police officers [were] attacked and injured with mace and stun guns, at least one PO hospitalized.”

A second shooting occurred on the 100 Block of South Dearborn Street, where police found two people with gunshot wounds. They were taken to the nearby Northwestern Hospital, with one being pronounced dead there.

The other man — identified as an 18-year-old — arrived in the hospital in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the leg, per CBS News. 

The Chicago Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the incidents.

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It was a busy night in Chicago’s downtown Loop area, as hours before the shootings, several crowds gathered in Millennium Park to see the Christmas tree lighting ceremony and to celebrate the first night of Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza.

Some bystanders who had been out enjoying the holiday festivities when they witnessed the first incident. One of those people had been Linda Dixon, who told CBS News that she had been with a group leaving the Chicago Theatre when she saw police rush by.

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“We’re coming out of the theater, and everybody just [started] running,” she recalled to the outlet. “We almost got knocked in the street, because everyone was running that way from down here. I’m not exactly sure what happened.”

“It is very disheartening to see this, you know? Holiday time, everybody wants to celebrate and enjoy the evening, and something like this happens,” she added.

The Cook County Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for any information on the two shootings that may lead to an arrest, per CBS News.