1 dead, multiple injured in shooting at Chicago-area hotel
BLOOMINGDALE, Ill. (WGN) — Police are searching for at least one gunman in a shooting that injured several people and left one dead at a suburban Chicago hotel.
The shooting happened around 3 a.m. early Saturday morning at the Indian Lakes Hotel in west suburban Bloomingdale.
Police said chaos erupted on the 5th and 6th floors inside Indian Lakes Hotel, where two large groups were reportedly gathered.
Officers said over 100 people fled the hotel before police were able to establish contact with them.
Following a verbal argument, one person opened fire, with one man, 27-year-old James McGill Jr., losing his life. Five other people were injured in the shooting.
Officers have said this is not an isolated incident at this hotel.
“We’ve had crimes with drug use, fights, guns in and out of the hotel. We have had a drastic spike in crime at the hotel itself and we conveyed concerns to the ownership,” Bloomingdale Director of Public Safety Frank Giammarese said.
The mayor of Bloomingdale, Franco Coladipietro said he has instructed staff to begin the process of revoking all licenses for the hotel to operate in the town. He said he along with village staff have had meetings to discuss security at the hotel. An investigation confirmed no security was on duty at the time of the incident, the mayor said.
“Over the past several years, the Village Board and I have shared our concerns with the lack of consistent security presence at the hotel and the failure of First Hospitality to properly manage the property,” the mayor said.
The mayor said they are now in the process of starting legal proceedings to “eliminate the threat in the community.”