One person was killed and eight others were wounded in a pair of shootings in downtown Chicago on Friday night, just hours after the city’s Christmas tree lighting.

In the first incident, seven teenagers were shot during a disturbance along North State Street near East Madison Street around 9:50 p.m. local time. Officers on patrol observed a large group on the sidewalk, heard gunshots and saw a number of people fleeing the scene, the Chicago Police Department said.

Less than an hour later, two people were shot near South Dearborn and West Adams streets, police announced. One unidentified male was shot multiple times and transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson later identified the individual as a 14-year-old boy.

A second victim, an unidentified 18-year-old man, was shot in the leg and hospitalized in “serious” condition. The two incidents occurred roughly three blocks apart.

All of the victims shot in the initial incident were under the age of 18, and all are listed as being in “good” or “fair” condition at area hospitals.

The disturbances began in the wake of the annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in Millennium Park, which drew an estimated 20,000 attendees to kick off the holiday season. During the week, several social media accounts promoted an authorized teen “takeover” event prompting Chicago Public Schools to warn families against allowing unsupervised minors to attend the event, as large groups of juveniles were anticipated to converge downtown after the Christmas tree lighting.

As massive crowds of teens swarmed the Chicago Loop district, the gathering soon devolved into an aggressive and frenzied atmosphere. Witnesses described scenes of panic as groups scattered in multiple directions, while the event was later characterized by Alderman Brian Hopkins as outright rioting that disrupted the Christmas event.

In anticipation of potential issues, the city had bolstered security with 700 additional officers and community violence intervention workers patrolling the area, but Mayor Johnson later acknowledged that preparations fell short for the scale of the influx

18 arrests were made as a result of the disturbances, while multiple injuries to officers were also reported, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

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Johnson addressed the shootings ahead of an unrelated event on Saturday morning, saying, “incidents like last night set us back as a city and evoke fear.”

“I recognize this feels like emotional whiplash after this incredible celebration last night, where thousands of people gathered Chicagoans who were enjoying our tree lighting ceremony, thousands of Chicagoans came to express their love for our city…” he added, according to NBC 5 Chicago.

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