Janina Ford, 45, was killed during a Fourth of July celebration in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood on July 4, 2021. The shooting began after a man, later identified as 34-year-old Calvin Gonnigan, was asked to stop firing a gun into the air near children; witnesses say he threatened people, retreated to an apartment building, then returned and opened fire on the gathering around 10:45 p.m. Ford was shot in the head while attempting to help another victim and talking to Gonnigan; the Cook County medical examiner pronounced her dead at the scene. Two other men, ages 32 and 49, were wounded and taken to Stroger Hospital, one in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds.

Gonnigan was reportedly shot and wounded by a 49-year-old concealed-carry license holder who intervened; Gonnigan received treatment at Stroger Hospital and was booked on charges including murder, two counts of attempted murder, and aggravated assault with a firearm. Judge Susana Ortiz ordered him held without bail. The community continues to mourn Ford’s death; anyone with information about the shooting is asked to come forward.