Three people got hurt when several shooters in a car shot at a community center in the Chicago suburbs during a funeral reception, officials reported.
The shooting happened around 3:30 p.m. on Friday in Blue Island, Illinois, about 16 miles south of downtown Chicago. The community center, run by The Salvation Army, was being used for a funeral gathering when the shooting occurred.
According to Tom Wogan, the Blue Island City Administrator, the gunmen fired at the front of the building from their vehicle.
Wogan mentioned during a press briefing that someone attending the funeral, who had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, came out of the building and shot back at the attackers. He described the situation as very chaotic.
The three victims were inside the building when the shooting started. They were taken to nearby hospitals, one with possibly life-threatening injuries and the other two with minor injuries, Wogan stated.
The Blue Island Police Department reported that one person has been detained for questioning regarding the shooting. The police are trying to identify the suspect vehicle and any other people involved.
Wogan mentioned that it’s not clear if this was a “retaliatory incident.”