Chicago, Illinois- Three people were injured in a shooting that took place in the parking lot of the Six Flags Great American theme park in Gurnee. The horrifying incident took place on Sunday night as confirmed by the officials and the police. Read on to know what happened.
At around 7:50 PM, the Gurnee Police Department received multiple calls reporting shots being fired near the gate of the amusement park. The initial investigation found that a white sedan entered the parking lot and drove toward the front gate where the suspects got out.
The suspects then started shooting at another person in the parking lot. Several shots were fired and it created a panic in the area. Three people were injured including a 17-year-old boy from Aurora and a 19-year-old woman from Appleton. Both of them were injured in the leg.
They were taken to Advocate Condell in Libertyville with non-life threatening injuries. The third injured person was hit in the shoulder but declined transport to the hospital. The police are investigating the incident.
“The shooting this evening was not a random act, and appeared to be a targeted incident that occurred outside the park. This was not an active shooter incident inside the park,” the Gurnee Police said.
Six Flags Released a Statement About the Shooting
Six Flags has released an official statement about the scary incident that took place on Sunday, August 14, 2022, at the Gurnee, Illinois, Chicago, facility.
“Six Flags dedicates our greatest amount of time, talent, and resources to safety and security. Layers of preventative measures both inside and outside the park are in place for the protection of guests and team members,” the statement reads.
“We continue to review and enhance our protocol on a daily basis to ensure we are providing the highest level of safety. Cameras placed in the parking lot and inside the park, uniformed and plain clothes patrols throughout the property, and advanced screening technology allow us to react quickly and provide important information.”
“The park security team is joined by the Gurnee Police Department, who operates a substation at the park,” the statement concludes.
Witnesses recall what happened at Six Flags Great America
Multiple videos displaying what happened at Six Flags Great America on Sunday have surfaced online. You can easily find them on YouTube, Twitter, and other social platforms. Witnesses at the area have also revealed what happened at the theme park.
Michael Pontrelly, who was at the park with his family when the shooting occurred, told CNN, that he just got off the Superman ride when he saw groups of people running away from the entrance.
“Then we (saw a) swarm of parents shuttling their kids, so my family and I hid between these two walls waiting for clearance,” he said. “Cops were running in armed and escorting everyone out.” He also shared a video that shows heavy police presence outside the park.
“As we were walking by the gate, they started escorting people out, rushing people out toward the front,” another witness Olga Davil said. “Cops had already surrounded the place. There were two individuals that got shot and we saw blood by the entrance.” he added.
The Six Flags Great America Shooting Stays Under Investigation
The shooting at Six Flags on August 14 remains under investigation. Both Gurnee Police and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office were handling the scene Sunday night as stated by the park’s communication specialist Rachel Kendziora.
Kendziora also confirmed that the park closed early in response to the shooting. The Northern Illinois Police Alarm System was assisting with clearing the theme park of guests and staff.
The suspects are yet to be identified. Six Flags is assisting the police with the necessary security camera footage to collect pieces of evidence. We’ll keep you updated as the case advances.
thisa article originally posted on bareillycollege.org