OAK BROOK, Ill. — Four people were injured Thursday during a shooting at a suburban Chicago mall, authorities said.
The shooting occurred at the Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook, located west of Chicago, WLS-TV reported.
According to Sgt. Reid Foltyniewicz of the Oak Brook Police Department, authorities were alerted of a shooter inside the mall about 6 p.m. CST, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
“One person is in custody and there are potentially four victims,” Oak Brook police said in a statement. “We are still clearing Oakbrook Center, checking for other offenders and victims.
“The mall is closed as this is an active investigation,” Oak Brook police later posted to its Facebook page. “One offender is in custody at this time,” the post read.
“All we can say is avoid the area,” an Oak Brook police dispatcher told the Chicago Tribune at about 6:30 p.m. CST. “Mall is on lockdown.”
Witnesses said the mall was crowded with last-minute Christmas shoppers when gunfire erupted, WLS reported.
According to WMAQ-TV, Brookfield Properties, the management company that runs the mall, issued a statement thanking police for responding to an “isolated incident.”
“Tonight’s isolated incident is extremely upsetting for our shopping community,” the statement read. “We are grateful for our partners at the Oak Brook Police Department for their diligence in leading this developing investigation.”
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