OAK BROOK, Ill. (WLS) — According to the police, a shooting that took place at the Oakbrook Center mall on Thursday night injured four people. There is currently one person under arrest.
People posted on social media that they were hiding out inside stores at the mall because there had been a report of a shooting there. Outside of the shopping center, it appeared as though police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances were stationed at each and every exit.
A security guard working the holiday detail at Nordstrom reportedly heard gunshots shortly after 6 p.m. and immediately reported the incident to Oak Brook police.
The exchange of gunfire between two people was reported by the police to be taking place in a corridor area in the east section of the mall adjacent to the Nordstrom store.
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Camila Reyes, a shopper, and a witness described the situation as “crazy.” “There were a lot of shots fired. There was a significant amount of gunfire, and the noise was incredible. I was in Nordstrom, but I had to run; I was about to leave the store when I decided to head to another one instead.”
According to the police, there were four people injured by gunfire. It is believed that one of those people was one of the suspects involved in the gunfight that took place earlier. According to the police, they believe that gunfire also struck the other three victims.
WATCH: A witness gives their account of the shooting that occurred at Oakbrook Center
According to the police, an alleged shooter is a man in his 30s who has been injured multiple times and has undergone a number of surgical procedures.
The other three people who were shot were a woman in her 20s, another woman in her 40s, and another woman in her 60s. One blow was delivered to each of them.
According to the police, none of the people who were shot had life-threatening wounds.
In addition, a woman in her 20s who was running away from the shooting broke her ankle after twisting it and was taken to the hospital to receive treatment.
Diane Sprague, a witness, described the situation as one in which “everyone was panicking.” “We made an effort to keep everyone calm and safe by telling them not to approach the windows. We ensured that all of the doors were secured, and we avoided going to the back door. To help people relax, we offered them some water to drink. There were also people of advanced age present. made certain that no one was hurt in the process.”
According to the police, a second male suspect was taken into custody after he ran into Nordstrom and attempted to flee the scene. The police have stated that they have a strong suspicion that he was a companion to one of the individuals who was involved in the shootout.
The mall was cleared out by the police one store at a time while they investigated the possibility that there was still a third suspect on the loose. The police described his outer garment as a blue puffy coat.
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Two of the weapons have been found. According to the police, both of them are pistols, one of which is a 9mm.
On Thursday evening, approximately one hundred law enforcement officers representing a variety of local agencies responded to the mall.
The atmosphere at the scene after the shooting was generally calm, in spite of the initial panic that was caused by the shooting. The police were working in a methodical manner, and customers were generally waiting patiently for their turn to leave the building.
Pete DiCianni, a member of the board of commissioners for DuPage County, stated that he was shopping in the area at the time of the shooting and witnessed the police response. He stated that his family, who are currently trapped inside the shopping center, informed him that the shooting took place directly outside of the Nordstrom store located inside the shopping center.
At the time of the shooting, according to witnesses, the shopping center was extremely busy with people buying last-minute Christmas gifts.
Family members hurried to the shopping center so that they could be reunited with their loved ones as soon as the lockdown was lifted; however, the authorities have not specified how long this process will take.
Oak Brook police stated that the last time there was a shooting at Oakbrook Center was nine years ago, when a security officer opened fire during a confrontation.