A 48-year-old woman and 63-year-old man died after being found shot inside the Garfield Ridge school Monday afternoon.
CHICAGO, IL — Chicago police are investigating a shooting that killed two custodians inside Mark Twain Elementary School on Monday afternoon, less than two weeks before students were scheduled to return for the new school year. No students were inside the building when the shooting occurred.
Officers responding to the school at 5134 S. Lotus Ave. in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood found a 48-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man unresponsive about 3:40 p.m. Monday. Police said both had been shot and were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead. Authorities recovered a firearm at the school.
The two people who died were custodians, according to SEIU Local 73, the union representing custodians at Chicago Public Schools. Their identities had not been publicly released as of Monday night. Police also had not announced a confirmed motive or publicly detailed the circumstances that led to the shooting.
Preliminary police radio transmissions indicated investigators were examining whether the shooting followed a disagreement between the two custodians. The transmissions also suggested the deaths could have involved a murder-suicide, but Chicago police had not publicly confirmed that account. Area 1 detectives were continuing to investigate.
The shooting happened while students were still on summer break. Mark Twain Elementary serves students in the Garfield Ridge area and is scheduled to begin classes Aug. 24. School officials said no students were present inside the building when shots were fired.
A message sent to school families by the principal said members of the school community had been affected by the shooting and that additional information would be provided as the investigation developed. Several parents went to the school after learning what had happened, and some expressed concerns about safety ahead of the first day of classes.
SEIU Local 73 Executive Vice President Trumaine Reeves said the union was focused on the families of the two employees and the Mark Twain school community. The union said two families had lost loved ones and offered its support to relatives, staff, students and families connected with the school.
Police remained at the school Monday evening as detectives worked inside and around the building. Authorities had not announced any arrests, and no additional injuries were reported. Investigators had not publicly identified which person fired the recovered weapon or released a final determination on how the shooting unfolded.
The investigation remained active early Tuesday, with the identities of the two custodians and additional findings still awaiting official release. Chicago police had not announced whether the incident would affect Mark Twain Elementary School’s scheduled Aug. 24 opening.
Author note: Last updated August 11, 2026.