A summer evening Sunday at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee turned frightening after gunshots rang out in the parking lot, drawing a massive police presence and creating a chaotic scene for hundreds of guests. Lisa Chavarria has more.
A chaotic and frightening scene took place Sunday evening at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, about 45 miles north of Chicago, when, according to police, gunshots were fired in the parking lot near the theme park's entrance.
According to police, three were hurt in the incident at the crowded amusement park, with two sustaining gunshot wounds and one sustaining a shoulder injury.
According to a park spokesperson, guests were escorted out of the theme park shortly after the shooting took place. However, video and social media posts from the scene shows frightened and confused guests taking shelter in bathroom stalls, and scores of visitors walking towards a massive police presence surrounding the park.
As details continue to unfold, here's what we know so far.
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Where and When the Shooting Occurred
At approximately 7:50 p.m. Sunday, the Gurnee police department received multiple calls of shots fired at Six Flags Great America at 1 Great America Parkway in Gurnee, a press release said.
According to a spokesperson for the park, the gunshots were fired from a single vehicle in the parking lot. The vehicle then immediately drove away, the spokesperson said.
Local
In a press conference late Sunday, Gurnee police said that an initial investigation showed that a white sedan entered the parking lot of the theme park and drove towards the front entrance of the park.
According to authorities, more than one person exited the vehicle and began shooting towards an individual who was in the parking lot.
The suspects then got back into the white sedan and quickly drove away from the scene, police said.
The amusement park, in Lake County, is about 45 miles north of Chicago, and about 20 miles north of Highland Park, a North Shore suburb where just one month earlier an alleged gunman, using an assault-style rifle, opened fire during the town's Fourth of July parade, killing seven people and injuring more than 50.
The Victims: 17-Year-Old Male, 19-Year-Old Female
According to authorities, three people were injured in the incident: A 17-year-old male from Aurora sustained a gunshot wound to the upper thigh and a 19-year-old female from Appleton, Wisconsin sustained a gunshot wound to the lower leg. Both were transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
A third person sustained a shoulder injury and declined transportation to the hospital.
According to authorities, none of the injuries suffered are life threatening.
Video Shows Panic, Frightened Guests After Gunshots
Videos posted to social media Sunday show a chaotic scene, and visitors who were at the park described panic and confusion as they began learning of the scary incident.
"All of a sudden everyone started rushing towards us and yelling there was a shooter, so we turned and immediately started running in the opposite direction," one witness said. "We ran to the bathroom area, and one guy was saying everyone go to the stall that’s furthest away from the door. I found a stall with, like, three other people in it, and there were a lot of people crying and everything like that."
"It was just like really scary," the witness continued. "I didn’t know where my best friend was at, and also my sister and her boyfriend were on a different ride, like, they were waiting in line, and I didn’t know if they knew there was a shooter."
'This Was Not A Random Act,' Police Say
"This was not an active shooter incident inside the theme park," Shawn Gaylor, Public Information Officer with the Gurnee Police said Sunday evening during a press conference. "The shooting was not a random act, and appeared to be a targeted incident outside the park."
According to a Six Flags spokesperson, "Layers of preventative measures both inside and outside the park are in place for the protection of guests and team members. We continue to review and enhance our protocol on a daily basis to ensure we are providing the highest level of safety."
Officers from the Lake County Sheriff's Department, as well as the nearby communities of North Chicago, Waukegan and Vernon Hills also responded to the scene.
The shooting remains under investigation and police are still searching for the suspects.
