Bloomingdale takes next step to close Indian Lakes Hotel after fatal shooting
Bloomingdale trustees will hold a hearing later this month to consider revoking the business license for Indian Lakes Hotel in the aftermath of a fatal shooting that brought years of security and maintenance issues to the fore.
Early Saturday, a large gathering attended by more than 100 people were partying on the upper floors of the hotel when a dispute devolved into violence.
James McGill Jr., a 27-year-old from Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, was fatally shot. A 22-year-old man was critically injured. Four other people were treated and released from hospitals in Chicago and the suburbs.
In response to the shooting, Bloomingdale Village President Franco Coladipietro temporarily suspended the hotel's business license, setting the stage for the Feb. 23 hearing. If the board revokes the license, the village will effectively shut down the 40-year-old hotel, once a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired resort getaway known for its distinctive hexagonal shape.
Coladipietro has called for rescinding all licenses for the hotel, pointing to security and upkeep concerns. In recent years, village officials have said the hotel attracts too much police attention and requested that the owner provide additional security.
Police said they've seen a dramatic increase in calls from the hotel on Schick Road, west of Bloomingdale Road. Officers have responded to reports of loud parties, fights, domestic disturbances, intoxicated people and disorderly conduct.
In 2018, the 310-room hotel agreed to have security there three days a week, including weekends. Bloomingdale Public Safety Director Frank Giammarese said the village reiterated the concerns last August.
"Unfortunately, the night of the shooting, it did not appear that there was any security on staff, and they did not have appropriate staffing for the amount of people within the hotel," Giammarese said. "From my perception, I only saw one visible employee of the hotel at the front desk."
Under the temporary order issued Tuesday, the hotel's business license is suspended for 10 days. The village attorney also will now begin to prepare a case for the hearing.
The hotel's owner, Rosemont-based First Hospitality Group, has voluntarily agreed to cease all business operations and informed the village that it has no intention of reopening business operations on the property, officials say.
Schaumburg attorney Harold Francke represents Indian Lakes, according to village documents. Francke on Wednesday did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment.
Police, meanwhile, have not given a motive or announced any arrests in connection with the shooting. Investigators recovered four handguns from the hotel grounds.
Police have released a 14-minute video of body camera footage showing an officer tending to an unidentified man who was apparently shot in the leg and lying on the hotel floor. The officer is heard asking if anyone has a tourniquet.
"Listen to me. Stay with me, OK? Stay with me," the officer says. "You're going to be OK."
He later carries the shooting victim down six flights of stairs because police would later say the hotel elevator wasn't available. The officer tells a bystander he's going to take the wounded man to the hospital. At the end of the video, they both help carry the man.
"One more floor," the officer says.
• Daily Herald staff writer Susan Sarkauskas contributed to this report.