Police respond to report of shots fired at Palatine shopping center
Police responding to reports of shots fired at a Palatine Walmart found one person bleeding outside the store and took several others by the jewelry counter out in handcuffs, witnesses said.
Police believe no shots were fired at the store.
The victim, a 19-year-old from Chicago, was found conscious with one gunshot wound, according to a news release. He is being treated at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, where an update on his condition was not immediately available.
Witnesses originally told police the offenders were possibly inside the Walmart; however, a search of the store determined the shooter was no longer there. Police declined to comment whether any suspects have been arrested.
Officers responded to the call about 7:30 p.m. at the store at 1555 N. Rand Road. Although police originally reported investigating gunshots in the store, they now believe shots were fired elsewhere and the activity ended in the Walmart parking lot, authorities said.
Shopper Kimberly Spears was inside the Walmart with her two young sons, standing next to three young men at the jewelry counter.
"They were all huddled together," she said of the three men.
Then six or seven police officers came in with guns drawn and ordered the men to get on the ground, which they did. Police handcuffed them and removed them from the store, she said.
Other people coming into the store told her a man who was bleeding was sitting outside the store, she said.
Meanwhile, the north entrance to the store remained open for shoppers while the south entrance was closed and blocked off with crime scene tape. A bloody shirt and some blood were on the sidewalk in front of the store entrance.
Walmart employees declined to comment on the investigation but said "everything is safe" and the store would remain open for regular business hours.
Spears, of Palatine, said she was shocked and doesn't know how she's going to explain what happened to her sons.
"We live right here. We shop here all the time. Nothing like that has ever happened," she said.
As authorities continue to interview witnesses, they have asked anyone with information to contact the Palatine Police Department at (847) 359-9000.