Posted on 02/02/2008 7:46:53 PM PST by blam
Gunman kills five women in Chicago store
By Tim Shipman in Chicago
Last Updated: 2:36am GMT 03/02/2008
Five people were shot dead at a women's clothing store in a Chicago suburb on Saturday.
Police evacuated the mall and sealed off the car park after at least five shots were fired
The victims, all women, were killed inside the Lane Bryant store at Brookside Marketplace shopping centre at Tinley Park, south of Chicago.
Police evacuated the mall and sealed off the car park after at least five shots were fired shortly before noon.
It is thought that the shooting occurred after a robbery went wrong and there were reports that the raider had taken some of the victims hostage in the plus-sized clothing store.
Police said that security cameras in the store had allowed them to tentatively identify the man, who is understood to have a history of armed robbery and a murder conviction.
The killer fled the scene after the shooting. A police dogs unit and helicopter were last night working to track down the suspect.
Armed officers also searched neighbouring stores in the area and cars in the parking lot.
Tinley Park Police Sgt TJ Grady said that they were looking for a 5ft 8in tall black man, weighing between 16 and 20 stone and wearing a waist-length black coat, a black knit cap, dark jeans and with braids in his hair.
One victim was was taken to the nearby St James Hospital and Health Care Centres for treatment to gunshot wounds but died later.
Sgt Grady said: "Responding units entered the store and found multiple victims that had been shot and killed.
"No motive has been established. Every store was immediately canvassed and a search by air, too, has given us every indication that the offender has left the scene."
Shoppers said that they were baffled by the motive behind the shooting as it had happened relatively early in the day, about 10.45, while shops would have had quite small amounts of money in their cash registers.
Residents of the predominantly white community of Tinley Park, which describes itself as Chicago's "fastest growing suburb" and has a population of about 58,000, said that they that were shocked by the shooting.
According to FBI crime statistics there was not a single murder in Tinley Park in 2007.
The other violent crime statistics are also low - four sexual assaults, 15 robberies and 38 assaults.
Greg Grace, from nearby Frankfort, who was in the parking lot outside Lane Bryant, said that he saw several stretchers being wheeled into the store. The stretchers were later wheeled out - carrying no wounded survivors.
The mayor, Edward Zabrocki, went to the scene and - looking very shaken - said: "We're very sad about this. We're a victim of our society that we live in."
One witness at the scene described how police officers responded quickly to news of the shootings and hunted the gunman through other stores on the strip mall, with guns drawn and sniffer dogs in tow.
Another witness, Tracy Caccavella, said that she was in a nearby PetSmart store when police burst in with their guns drawn. She said that the officers ordered the store's staff not to let in any more customers before conducting a 20-minute search.
The multiple killing comes a month after nine people died in a shooting at a shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska.
Nineteen-year-old Robert Hawkins killed eight people, wounded four, then shot himself at the Westroads Mall on December 5 last year.
It was the deadliest shooting in Nebraska since the rampage of Charles Starkweather, who killed 11 people in 1958.
That's between 224 and 280 pounds here in the good 'ol U.S. of A.
1 Stone = 14 pounds
It’s been top of the news most of the day on radio. Primary coverage and the Super Bowl are vying for attention with it.
Only in the UK paper. Not online on the US sources.
I could swear that earlier on Fox and MSNBC.com, I read that he was much taller, and they gave his weight in pounds. All that information is missing from the updated articles now, and they’ve been relegated to secondary news. You have to look for the articles.
I don’t understand why the description is missing now. I understand the PC crap can’t racially profile and all, but even his height and weight. What are people supposed to do, call the police on every male they see?
Yeah, in Chicago they use that to figure out how much concrete it will take to keep the body at the bottom of the lake.
wonder if this guy was let out early by Governor Ryan. remember the governor that commuted all the death sentences. i think he let alot of people out too.
There is a segment of society that firmly believes in the death penalty... for the innocent, that is.
Story here...do not know if it requires sign-up.
This is why Kaleeeeeeforneeeeeya has a 3-strikes law.
That was a silly thing for me to say—I never watch tv, and since it’s Saturday, I haven’t even had the radio on!
Recall that Chicago banned handguns, so relax, the entire city is one big gun-free zone.
Prayers for the victims and doom on the polidiots that kept them away from the means of self defense.......
I wonder what he was doing out running around with a murder conviction against him? I thought guns were illegal in IL?
I think the story was removed because some posters couldn’t refrain from posting inappropriate comments about the store, it’s employees, and it’s customers.
Seems even the most tragic of circumstances can’t trump the urge to ridicule and mock in some folks.
Wow, you’re saying some sick bastard made comments about ‘fat girls’ because of the store?
I’ve seen some of the Lane Bryant models, they are pretty and hot. Lots of women who might shop there for tops or bottoms (not everyone is built the same way) are also very hot.
But more importantly, FIVE HUMAN BEINGS ARE MURDERED and people made jokes?
Why would people make jokes in that kind of case? It’s not a Darwin Award situation.
Any particular posters who should be banned for life?
sniffer dogs in tow...you don’t tow a tracker.
“the plus-sized clothing store”
“Was this little bit of info really needed?”
They’re just identifying the store. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.
It’s like saying Kragen, the auto parts store, or Baskin-Robbins, the ice cream parlor.
There's one who's really strange. Never any reason given why he does odd things..
That explains it. The mod is fat?
I saw it on the San Antonio news earlier. They said all five were found in the back of the store, and had been shot execution style. I think that means they all went like sheep to the back of the store. Very sad.
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