Skokie Holocaust museum on special alert

The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie is working with police to ensure a heightened state of security in the wake of a shooting at the national Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

Officials at the Skokie museum expressed shock and sadness after the shooting, in which an 88-year-old white supremacist opened fire with a rifle inside the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, killing a security guard. The gunman was immediately shot by two other guards and was in critical condition at a hospital.

"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family of the security guard killed in this senseless attack," museum officials said in a news release.

The Skokie museum, which opened in April, was built with the security of visitors as a top priority, in consultation with security experts and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, museum officials said.

In the wake of the D.C. shooting, museum officials are working with authorities to make sure the museum is safe, both inside and out, officials said.

"In response to this tragedy, the (museum) is working closely with the Skokie Police Department and other law enforcement agencies to ensure a heightened level of security in and around the facility," the news release said.

While police were at the Skokie museum Wednesday, the building always operates on a heightened state of alert, a spokeswoman said.

A spokesman for the Skokie police referred questions to the museum, but said the department is aware of the D.C. shooting.

"We have heightened awareness of the situation that happened in Washington, D.C., and we are reviewing our security," said Sgt. Fred Brehmer, the department's crime prevention supervisor.

The Skokie museum is open as usual, though its permanent exhibit space is closed this week as part of previously scheduled work.