MT. VERNON, Ill. - The heartbreak is palpable after a mass shooting over the weekend in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, claimed the lives of two young men and injured five others.

Mt. Vernon Police say between 100 and 150 people gathered for a birthday celebration when gunfire erupted just before 1 a.m.

Demonta Woodward, 24, and Zomarrius Williams, 20, were among the seven people shot early Sunday morning during a gathering on South 15th Street between Lamar and Logan.

Demonta had been living with his grandparents in Mounds, Illinois, but much of his family is grieving from Atlanta.

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“We got about 60 people right here in Atlanta that’s gonna be there for him,” Lisa Woodward, Demonta’s great-aunt, explained over a Zoom interview.

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