Batavia police find gun, person of interest in Steak 'n Shake shooting
Batavia police have found "a strong person of interest" in the case of a shooting Tuesday night in the drive-through of a Steak 'n Shake restaurant, they said Wednesday night.
They also found a gun they think was used, in a parking lot near the restaurant at 1901 McKee St., and the car the shooter was in, at an apartment complex about a mile away on Lorlyn Circle.
But no one has been arrested as of Wednesday evening.
The shooting was reported by hospital workers at 6:25 p.m. Tuesday. They were treating a 17-year-old DuPage County boy for a gunshot wound to his lower body, according to Batavia Deputy Police Chief Shawn Mazza.
The victim was a passenger in a car. There was an argument between people in that car and someone in another car over the length of time a customer took to order food.
The victim's friends drove him to a hospital.
Mazza said the victim and his passengers did not appear to know the person who did the shooting.
"This appears to have been a random act of violence based on tempers flaring over the speed at which the food ordering process was taking," he said.
After the gunfire, the shooter drove off, lost control and hit an unoccupied, parked vehicle. Police said the shooter's vehicle likely sustained moderate damage to the front bumper and fender on the passenger side.
After locating the vehicle, police got search warrants for it and for an associated residence and searched them with the help of the Kane County Special Weapons and Tactics team.