5 Injured in Shootout at Chicago-Area Mall

'I almost got trampled,' Oakbrook Mall shopper says
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 24, 2021 7:33 AM CST
5 Injured in Shooting at Chicago-Area Mall
Oakbrook Mall was placed under a lockdown after calls of shots fired, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, in Oak Brook, Ill.   (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

A shooting at a suburban Chicago mall full of Christmas shoppers left four people injured Thursday, police said. The incident at Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook began with two males involved in a shootout in a corridor around 5:45pm, police Chief James Kruger said. He said the injuries were not life-threatening, the AP reports. Kruger said a man believed to be one of the shooters was hit multiple times and underwent several surgeries, per ABC7. Three bystanders, all women, were hit once and fourth person suffered an ankle injury while running away. The injured man is in custody, and police are looking for another suspect, Kruger said. "This is just a very unfortunate incident that is completely out of character for our area,” the chief said.

The outdoor mall is a major shopping destination about 15 miles west of Chicago. TV stations with aerial cameras showed police cars and emergency vehicles spread across the property with their lights flashing. Stores were locked down as police searched the mall. Shoppers who were interviewed as they were gradually released said they took cover in stores and dressing rooms. Alex Gay, 23, said she was walking in the mall when she suddenly saw people running. She didn't hear any gunshots. "I'm shook up," Gay told the Chicago Tribune. "It was scary, everyone was sprinting out of the mall as sirens went over intercom saying, ‘Emergency. Evacuate. Seek shelter.’ I almost got trampled."

(More shooting stories.)

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