6 people shot, 1 fatally, during party at Rockford hotel

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - A 23-year-old man died and five other people were injured in a shooting at a private party inside a Rockford hotel early Saturday.

The shooting occurred after several people attending a large birthday party at the Clock Tower Resort and Conference Center got into a dispute, Rockford police Sgt. Rich Gambini told the Rockford Register Star (http://bit.ly/2dtaFBr ).

Police were called to the scene at 12:50 a.m. after a report of shots fired. They found 23-year-old Marcello Brown, who was pronounced dead at the scene, on the hallway floor.

"It was chaotic, and people were running from the scene," Gambini said.

Gambini said all of the shooting victims were from Rockford. In addition to Brown, a 20-year-old man was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Four others - an 18-year-old woman and men ages 21, 19 and 18 - suffered injuries that authorities said weren't life threatening.

Gambini said no one has been arrested, and police didn't have information Sunday morning about who was responsible.

Chavez Dyse, who attended the party but was at a nearby Wal-Mart buying snacks when the shooting occurred, said the gathering was for her cousin and was held in two adjoining hotel rooms. The Rockford woman said her cousin was the woman who was shot, and that she was responsive and recovering on Sunday morning.

Dyse said there were "well under 50" people at the party, and that the location wasn't widely shared. She said the shooter may have slipped in after someone let people in through a side door.

"This is just sad," Dyse said. "You can't even chill at a hotel with people you know and have a good time without something bad happening."

The killing is the 22nd homicide in Rockford this year. There were 19 homicides in Rockford in all of 2015.

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An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the shooting happened on Sunday instead of Saturday.

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Information from: Rockford Register Star, http://www.rrstar.com