Shooting Incident at Chicago School Leaves Two Dead

A man and a woman were critically injured following a shooting on Monday afternoon inside Mark Twain Elementary School on Chicago’s Southwest Side. According to a preliminary police report obtained by the Tribune along with a police statement, the incident occurred at 5134 S. Lotus Ave. in Garfield Ridge around 3:40 p.m.

Chicago Public Schools did not immediately offer a comment on the situation. Trumaine Reeves, executive vice president of SEIU Local 73, informed the Tribune that the victims were custodians. It remains uncertain whether either of them belonged to the union, which represents 13,000 support staff in the district. “There are at least two families affected by this tragedy, and our hearts and prayers are with them,” Reeves stated. “We offer our thoughts to the family members and the school community. It’s a devastating event.”

Police from the Chicago Lawn (8th) district found 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. A gun was discovered at the scene, according to a police statement. Both individuals were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition and were pronounced dead later that afternoon.

At least ten squad cars were parked outside the elementary school as police tape secured the area. Onlookers from nearby homes watched the unfolding situation. Local resident Kelly Carrillo was home when traffic on her street increased. Initially, the 46-year-old did not pay much attention until she noticed ambulances and fire trucks arriving. Officers and paramedics managed the scene where the shooting took place on August 10, 2026, in Chicago.

Witnessing this commotion, Carrillo, who has lived across from the school for six years, along with her husband, stepped outside. “Suddenly, SWAT arrived,” she noted. Carrillo saw paramedics carry someone out of the school on a stretcher. She expressed concern as school was scheduled to start in two weeks, wondering if they would proceed with opening. Her neighborhood is typically quiet, and the police presence was unsettling. “What scared me more,” she added, “is why anyone would bring guns to a school.”

Detectives from the Wentworth Area are currently investigating the incident.