3 People Killed, 3 Wounded In Shooting At Illinois Bowling Alley
Dec 26, 2020, 11:28 PM | Updated: Dec 5, 2022, 10:52 pm
Police say they arrested a man Friday in the investigation of a violent murder in West Valley City. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
(CNN) — Three people were killed and three wounded in a shooting on Saturday at a bowling alley in Rockford, Illinois, and a suspect is in custody, according to police.
Police received calls for a shooting with multiple victims at Don Carter Lanes around 6:55 p.m. CT, Police Chief Daniel O’Shea said at a news briefing late Saturday.
“When officers arrived on scene, the shooter was still in the building,” O’Shea said. “No officers fired their weapons that we know of at this point, but the individual that we believe is responsible, and the only individual we believe at this point to be involved, we may have in custody.”
Rockford police later tweeted that a “suspect is in custody.”
UPDATE: Suspect is in custody. This is an active and ongoing investigation. If you have any further information, please contact us at 815-966-2900 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 815-963-7867.
— RockfordILPolice (@RockfordPD) December 27, 2020
Responding officers found three people dead at the scene and three others with injuries from gunfire, O’Shea said. Those victims were taken to a local hospital for treatment, he said.
Police believe the shooting was a random attack, O’Shea said.
Among the victims were at least two teenagers, although O’Shea did not say whether they were killed, the extent of their injuries or their exact ages.
It is unclear if the people who were shot were employees or patrons, O’Shea said. The shooting happened both inside and outside the bowling alley, he said.
The bowling alley posted on its Facebook page the message: “Pray Please.”
“I’m angered and saddened by the violence tonight at Don Carter Lanes,” Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said in a statement posted on Facebook. “My thoughts are with the families of those who lost loved ones. I’m also thinking of those who were injured and my hopes are with them for a quick and full recovery.”
Rockford is about 90 miles northwest of Chicago, near the Illinois-Wisconsin border.
CNN has reached out to Rockford Police and Fire and the bowling alley for more information.
