At least 30 shots were fired around 8:30 p.m. last Saturday near 18th and Ada streets in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, with surveillance footage capturing what appears to be two groups exchanging gunfire just behind a popular taco restaurant. Employees of Quesabirria Jalisco Tacos were outside at the time, according to the restaurant's owner, even though the business had already closed for the day.
The shootout was caught on surveillance video behind the taqueria, according to FOX 32 Chicago, which reported that the footage shows two groups appearing to trade gunfire in the area. At one point in the video, someone can be heard yelling, “What y'all is?” as the chaos unfolds. Restaurant owner Ventura Orozco said the shop had already closed for the day, but some employees were still outside when the gunfire erupted.
Orozco told the station that staff were having beers out front about an hour after closing when the shooting broke out nearby. The gunfire happened just steps from several businesses that were open and serving customers at the time, a detail that has rattled nearby shop owners already on edge about safety in the area.
Business Owners Say Officers Came Looking for Footage
Several business owners in the area said officers came to the area seeking surveillance footage in the aftermath of the shooting, per the station's report. Despite that outreach for evidence, Chicago police have not released details about the shooting, have not confirmed specifics of the investigation, and have not responded to multiple requests for information about what happened.
That silence has left business owners largely in the dark about who was involved or why the confrontation turned violent. Orozco said incidents like this have become an unfortunate reality for businesses in the city, reflecting what he described as a broader problem facing Chicago rather than something he blames on a specific politician or alderperson.
A Popular Taqueria Near Open Businesses
Quesabirria Jalisco Tacos has built a following in Pilsen for its limited halal taco menu, which the Chicago Tribune has reported frequently sells out before closing. Nearby businesses were open and serving customers during the shooting, prompting business owners to express concern about safety in the neighborhood.
In August, a Pilsen man named Charles Senase was fatally shot on a front porch while taking a college test, according to ABC7 Chicago, which reported his family is still seeking answers. In July, surveillance video similarly captured a confrontation that led to a deadly shooting outside a Lincoln Park bar, as reported by NBC Chicago. Nothing in the available reporting connects either of those cases to the shooting behind Quesabirria Jalisco Tacos.
For now, the central questions around the Pilsen shooting remain unanswered. Chicago police have not released information about any victims, suspects, or a motive, and no arrests have been publicly confirmed. Officers sought surveillance footage, while businesses continue operating in a neighborhood where, as the owner put it, this kind of violence has become an unfortunate reality for businesses trying to stay open.
