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Four people were killed and at least 14 others were wounded in a drive-by mass shooting outside the Artis Restaurant and Lounge in Chicago's River North neighborhood on Wednesday night. 

Chicago police said around 11 p.m., a dark vehicle drove past the building in the 300 block of West Chicago Avenue, where three people from inside fired shots into a crowd of people standing on the sidewalk. 

The crowd was said to be leaving Artis Lounge following an album release party for rapper Mello Buckzz.  

The victims injured in the shooting range in age from 21 to 32 years old. Of the injured, two were taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital, two were taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital, three were taken to Stroger Hospital and six were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in conditions ranging from good to critical. Four of the injured are in serious to critical condition, according to Chicago police.

Two men who were shot were taken to Stroger Hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has identified them as 25-year-old Leon Andrew Henry and 23-year-old Devonte Terrell Williamson. A 26-year-old woman and a 27-year-old woman were both shot in the chest and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where they died, Chicago police said. 

Henry's grandmother said when he left the house on Wednesday, she didn't know he was heading to the release party, but she never imagined he would never return home.  

Shaniah Battle, who was among the 14 people wounded in the shooting, said one of the two women killed in the drive-by was her sister, Aviance King.

Police said the shooting was a targeted attack, with some of the victims among Mello Buckzz's inner circle.

"They didn't care who was struck, and in a matter of seconds they were able to shoot 18 people," Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said. "There's a possibility that there was a rifle used … there were two different calibers of shell casings."

"We are mobilizing right now to make sure this incident does not return and bring about more violence," Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

Snelling would not confirm or deny the shooting might have been gang-related, but said police would be prepared for any possible retaliation.

"There's coordination; not only coordination with our local partners here, but also our federal partners when it comes to the possibility of this being some kind of gang conflict," he said. "We're also making sure that anything that we uncover, and there's a possibility of retaliation, we would have an idea of where that retaliation could occur and we would put resources in place to prevent that."

Snelling said police would be out in full force this weekend, "making sure we are keeping the city safe and protecting lives."

Mello Buckzz posted social media tributes to those killed, including her boyfriend, Williamson, sharing photos of the couple together, one caption reading "my handsomeeee man."

Other posts talked about King and another woman killed, Taylor, with the rapper writing "we were having so much fun in our private little life couldn't leave each other alone glued to my hip every day."

Buckzz released a statement on social media, saying in part, "Prayers up for all my sisters god please wrap yo arms around every last one of them." She then went on to say, "Feel like everything just weighing down on me ... all I can do is talk to god and pray." 

Artis Lounge confirmed they are working with authorities as the investigation continues. Owners released the following statement: 

"Last night, an act of violence occurred within the vicinity of our restaurant and it deeply shook us. Artis was created as a safe space. A Space where Black, Brown, Queer, and allied communities could gather, be celebrated, and feel at home in River north. We've always led with that mission. And what happened last night disrupted it in the most painful way. Our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones."  

Snelling said the city has issued a summary closure of the building, shutting down the business. Their investigation into the location itself continues. 

Pastor Donovan Price spoke to Autos News Chicago after arriving on the chaotic scene. 

"The worst, the worst I've seen," he said. "People wanting to find their other people, find who was alive, finding who was you know where their phones were because they dropped them in the chaos, so they couldn't even call, or couldn't even find their car keys. It's, it's something that you wouldn't expect to find in the city, we have a lot of shootings, but nothing, nothing like this." 

No arrests have been made as of Thursday, but police said they believe three shooters were involved. The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing. 

The same block was also the , when the same venue was known as Hush Lounge. One person was killed and three others wounded after a group that had been thrown out of Hush started fighting.

after that shooting, and Artis Lounge later opened in the same location.

Mayor Brandon Johnson noted Thursday night's attack was not the only mass shooting in Chicago overnight.

Four people were wounded as they were standing outside in the 600 block of East 133rd Street around 3:15 a.m.

"We will not rest until there is full accountability. I'm calling on any Chicagoan who has any information about these mass shootings, we are calling on anyone who has information to come forward," Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

Thursday evening, violence interrupters gathered outside Artis Lounge, hoping to drum up tips about the shooting and bring peace to the River North community. Flyers have been posted throughout the neighborhood, seeking information on the shooting.