3 Bystanders Shot In Oak Brook Shootout, 1 Man Still At Large

OAK BROOK, IL — Police swarmed the Oakbrook Center mall on Thursday night after four people were injured in a shooting believed to have started as an altercation between at least two men. Gunshots rang out just before 6 p.m. as holiday shoppers crowded the popular outdoor shopping center, and three bystanders were among the wounded, police said.

Police said they have one shooter in custody, and another shooter — a man in his 30s who was shot four times — is believed to be among the wounded. Police said the man was shot once in the left thigh, once in the right thigh, once in the right calf and once in the lower back.

Officers rendered aid to the wounded man, and police said he is expected to survive after undergoing surgery. Police said that the other person who is in custody was a companion of the man who was shot.

Three bystanders also suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said: two women in their 40s, both shot in the left thigh, and a woman in her 20s shot in the right foot. Another woman in her 20s suffered an ankle fracture as she tried to flee, police said.

Police said they recovered two pistols. They hadn’t made a final determination as to how many shots were fired, but witnesses told them they heard as many as 15.

As of around 8 p.m., police said SWAT teams were still clearing shoppers from stores, and that a possible third shooter — described as a black man in his 30s with long dreadlocks and medium height and build, wearing a blue puffy coat — might still be at large inside the mall. Police released surveillance photos of the man late Thursday night and said he was still not in custody.

Anyone who can identify the man or has information on the shooting is asked to contact Administrative Sergeant Reid Foltyniewicz via email at RFoltyniewicz@oak-brook.org or phone at 630-368-8746.

Oak Brook Police Chief James Kruger said at a news briefing Thursday night that two men, who are believed to know one another, exchanged gunshots in a corridor outside the Nordstrom near Ann Taylor Loft at 5:44 p.m. A security officer heard the gunshots and radioed it in before rushing to the scene, Kruger said.

More than 100 police officers and SWAT teams were going store to store to clear the mall, which was locked down immediately after the incident.

A family reunification site was set up at a nearby Marriott hotel, according to police. Kruger said Thursday night that mall management hoped for the shopping center to reopen for business on Friday for last-minute shoppers.

Kruger characterized the incident as "very unfortunate" that is "totally out of character for our area." Two guns were recovered from the scene.

"We're going to do everything we can to make sure this never happens again," Kruger said.

A large presence of fire trucks, police cars and ambulances could be seen outside the mall Thursday night.

The mall was closed as officers investigated the shooting.

Traffic was shut down in both directions on 22nd Street between Route 83 and Jorie Boulevard, and Route 83 was closed between 22nd Street and Butterfield Road, NBC Chicago reported.