Would she keep getting shot? That was the thought that kept racing through Mariah Victoria Dixon’s mind as gunfire rang out during a Juneteenth celebration in unincorporated Willowbrook over the weekend.
It was her first time attending the event and everything seemed normal - until it wasn't.
“I didn't see anything,” she said. “I didn't feel any, I didn't hear a fight, I didn't hear a disagreement.”
Suddenly, she says, bullets started flying.
“I just remember recording my friend. She was dancing," Dixon told NBC Chicago. "And all of a sudden, the shots started ringing out, everybody scattered, people pushing me over and, you know, like, shoving me and trying to get out of the way. It was just pure chaos. The shots were still ringing after I had got shot. I was really anticipating on being shot again or I didn't know if they were directly shooting at me, so I kind of ducked down and forced myself under the car. I could barely fit under the car, but I squeezed myself under the car."
According to authorities, the shooting broke out at approximately 12:25 a.m. Sunday during a fight near the Hinsdale Lake Terrace in unincorporated Willowbrook. Police said officers were initially monitoring the celebration, but were called away to respond to a different 911 call.
As the shooting continued, Dixon stayed hidden under the car.
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"Finally the shots stopped after about like 30 seconds," she said, realizing then that she had been hit. "I was laying on my stomach with my hands to my side. And that's when I felt that I had been shot in my leg. My whole leg was hot. It was very hot. And it was so hot that the blood that was leaking to my ankles and in my shoes. It felt cold, like cold, but I couldn't move."
She said that's when she reached for help.
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"I saw someone's foot outside of the car. I was laying under the car, so I kind of reached out and grabbed her ankle," Dixon said. "I was just screaming, 'Help me. Somebody help me.'"
Once out from under the vehicle, Dixon was taken to an area hospital for treatment. She was one of more than 20 people shot that night. Reginald Meadows, 31, did not survive.
MORE: Man slain in Willowbrook-area mass shooting was a ‘happy-go-lucky' young father of 2
"When I first arrived in the hospital, the bullet was still in my femur," Dixon said. "They said it went through the side of my knee and it kind of jammed up through my femur bone and my patella is fractured. My femur is broken."
Dixon has already had one surgery and is scheduled to have another one Wednesday.
“They were able to take the bullet out and they found out that I was shot with a .45 caliber. My next surgery is scheduled for Wednesday morning and they're going to basically put a plate inside of knee," she said.
Police said Monday they have been investigating the shooting "nonstop" since it happened, but few details have been release.
Police believe multiple weapons were fired during the incident, but the total number of suspects who opened fire into the crowd remains unclear.
Authorities said Monday they are still processing ballistic evidence, as well as other evidence from the scene. They're also looking for additional witnesses and potential victims.
"The interviews of known witnesses and victims continues, and we are trying to locate additional witnesses and victims who may not have sought medical attention for their injuries," police said.
Now a survivor, Dixon said she's still feeling the emotional toll of the shooting.
"I know that it was a very traumatic experience for everyone because I can barely close my eyes without hearing the shots in my head," she said. "I can barely go to sleep. I can't move my leg. You know, every time I feel a pain, I feel everybody's pain who was a part of this event. And I really just missed my dad. My dad passed away in 2021 from cancer. It was Father's Day ... I went out to get my mind off of it, and I was shot, and I was very afraid. I didn't know if I was going to die or not.”
A fundraiser has been set up to help Dixon with medical bills.
