Mayor Joseph Mengoni reported that a shooting near the north Riverside Park Mall on Wednesday afternoon left two individuals hurt.
The mayor stated that shortly before 5:20 p.m., police received a call reporting gunfire at the mall. They discovered that before shots were fired, two couples got into a physical argument inside the mall.
Mengoni stated that there were two guys and two ladies involved; both men were hurt by a single gunshot. After being brought to a nearby hospital, the two’s circumstances improved.
The shooting took place within the mall, which according to the mayor had recently increased security by hiring undercover cops, who he claims were among the first to react to the shooting.
Workers were taken to safety via a rear exit as they dealt with the trauma of what had happened.
“It triggered off my asthma,” claimed Paulette Jones, a worker, sobbing. “I’m just ready to go home.” Jones reported that she clearly heard the gunshots.
“I said ‘i know nobody’s doing firecrackers in the mall,’ and then all the sudden I just see these people running and screaming,” she stated.
“We heard everybody running and shouting so we ran to the front and then we heard somebody say it was an active shooter,” Rafael Ortiz, employee stated.
Although there was never an active shooter scenario, according to village officials, it did cause widespread fear.
“We made sure we locked the gate. That was the first thing we did. And then we shouted to everybody and made sure we escorted them to the back of the store,” Ortiz stated.
According to the mayor, no firearm has been found, and the gunman left the area. Although the mayor said that one of the four men was the shooter, it was not immediately apparent if the gunman was one of the injured males or either of the ladies.
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No more information, including a description, has been made public regarding the shooting suspect. Mengoni stated that the mall is anticipated to reopen on Thursday for its holiday hours.
In an otherwise deserted parking lot outside what appeared to be a mall entrance, dozens of police cars were seen.
While the investigation is ongoing, police asked that people stay away from the area and stated that there was no immediate danger to the neighborhood.
