Nine Teens Shot in Chicago in ‘Riot’ After Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Remember how hard Gov. JB Pritzker fought against President Donald Trump sending in the National Guard to Chicago to get crime under control? Last month, Pritzker saw himself sitting across from Fox News' Bret Baier, who asked him why Chicago has the highest murder rate of all the big cities. "We're not in the top 30," Pritzker responded. After Baiier showed him a map with the statistics, Pritzker replied, "Look, you can pull statistics up, but our murder rate has been cut in half." The murder rate has been cut in half, but Chicago is still number one.

Not helping Pritzker's case was a rash of shootings following a Christmas tree lighting ceremony downtown Friday night. After the lighting, a large group of "juveniles" started rioting, resulting in two separate shooting incidents in which nine people were shot, one fatally.

A total of nine teenagers were shot and one was killed in a pair of shootings less than an hour apart in Chicago’s Loop late Friday night, according to Chicago police.https://t.co/dlWbvk8Fok
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) November 22, 2025

Welcome to @ChicagosMayor’s Chicago—where a Christmas tree lighting and a mass shooting share the same backdrop.

Seven teenagers were shot right outside the Chicago Theatre at State & Randolph, the youngest just 13—and just blocks away, a man was killed at Dearborn & Adams.… pic.twitter.com/pQKAciA4ei
— Midwest Millennial (@MillennialVerse) November 22, 2025

JUST IN: At least 5 people shot after 300 teens started "rioting" following Chicago’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

“300 juveniles rioting in the Loop now, at least 5 victims shot, one critical with life threatening gunshot wound to torso,” said @AldermanHopkins.

“Multiple… pic.twitter.com/HT6HqAI6qH
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 22, 2025

The post continues:

… police officers attacked and injured with mace and stun guns, at least one PO hospitalized.”
Horrific.

At least 300 teenagers rioted in downtown Chicago Friday night leaving multiple police officers injured. At least nine people shot while terrified families ran for their lives… According to @GovPritzker THERE’s NO CRIME IN CHICAGO!! Really, dude? OPEN YOUR EYES! pic.twitter.com/JQhSdaoy2D
— DB (@DBEYESWIDEOPEN) November 22, 2025

Watched the tree lighting with my kids on the live stream, full of Christmas music and smiling faces then 30 minutes later the same streets turned into a war zone with 300 juveniles and gunfire. That’s not “teens being teens.”
That’s a complete collapse of deterrence and adult…
— Dagon Duke (@dagon_duke) November 22, 2025

The post continues:

… authority in real time. When a city’s most magical night of the year ends with cops getting maced and people shot two blocks from the Nutcracker ballet, we’ve crossed into a level of societal rot that no amount of “it’s just the Loop” coping can fix. Chicago deserves better than turning Michigan Avenue into a seasonal running of the bulls.
Fix the parenting, fix the policing, or just admit the city is no longer safe for families after dark. Merry Christmas, indeed.

But the mayor insisted everything is fine and they don’t need any help. pic.twitter.com/3ya3GlcQ0g
— tikilinlin (@tiki_linlin) November 22, 2025

Plus, they have the toughest gun control laws around. It's all of those guns coming in from Indiana that's the problem. Blame them.

It's frightening what teens can get up to with online "chatter." Something tells us they weren't there for the tree lighting.

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