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ATF investigating gun used by Tower Lakes man in Loop shooting

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is conducting an "urgent" trace to find out where Tower Lakes resident Tony DeFrances got the gun he used to shoot his boss and then himself at a downtown Chicago high-rise office building on Thursday.

DeFrances pulled a gun on the Steven LaVoie, CEO of ArrowStream - a supply chain management technology company where DeFrances worked as chief technology officer - during a one-on-one meeting discussing him being demoted to a different position, police said.

"We are in the process of tracing the gun that was used in the shooting," said Tom Ahern, spokesman for the Chicago field office of the ATF. "It was given top priority and usually the turnaround time is fairly quick with urgent traces." Ahern said he expected the trace to take a few days and any information would be turned over to the Chicago Police Department to aid with its investigation into the shooting.

DeFrances, who lived in Tower Lakes with his wife, did not have a Firearm Ownership ID registered to his name or address, or a concealed carry permit, according to the Illinois State Police.

LaVoie, 54 of LaGrange, was still listed in critical condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Friday after being shot in the stomach and the head. DeFrances, 60, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Man who shot CEO was from Tower Lakes

  The home of Tower Lakes resident Tony DeFrances, who was involved in a shooting Thursday that critically injured the ArrowStream CEO in downtown Chicago. Gilbert R Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
Chicago police stand outside a downtown high-rise office building following a shooting inside the building Thursday. Police said a demoted worker shot and critically injured his company's CEO before fatally shooting himself. Associated Press
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