Families At Six Flags React Following Shooting

By Sam Borcia and Woo-Sung Shim, Lake & McHenry County Scanner

Visitors to Six Flags Great America took cover and made plans on how to keep their families safe after hearing gunshots fired Sunday night. Authorities say multiple people were shot and some suffered injuries not related to the gunfire as several police agencies responded at around 7:50 p.m. to the shooting at the theme park, at 1 Six Flags Parkway in Gurnee.

Initial reports over the fire department radio indicated a report of an active shooter.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said the sheriff’s office is assisting Gurnee police at the scene.

Covelli said the shooting occurred at the entrance of the park and there is no indication it was an active shooter.

At least three people were believed to have been shot, according to a source. One person was reported to have been shot in the leg.

Some people were reported to have non-gunshot injuries.

At least six ambulances and many other fire apparatus were called to the scene.

Sources told Lake and McHenry County Scanner the shooting was possibly a drive-by and innocent bystanders were hit, while the intended targets were not hit by the gunfire.

No suspects were believed to be in custody. The Gurnee Police Department has not released any information on the incident yet.

Mutual aid police departments through the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS) also responded, according to radio traffic.

Some park patrons hid during the incident while others tried fleeing from the park, witnesses told Lake and McHenry County Scanner.

Jamar Tuazon, who was at the theme park, said that he heard gunshots and rides started to stop minutes later. Groups of people, including Tuazon and his family, started to hide.

He and others improvised weapons and started to plan in case they encountered a shooter.

“If those shooters come, you take the kids and run, you take the kids and run,” he told a mother.

“We armed ourselves with big rocks, as big as we could find,” Tuazon said.

The group later saw two police officers, and they began exiting the park.

A video posted on social media showed a large group of people trying to escape the park through the gates off Washington Street.

A family reunification site was set up at the security tower in the parking lot north of the park.

A SWAT team was conducting multiple sweeps of Six Flags following the incident.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.