Person of interest in custody after security guard shot dead at Calumet City Mall – NBC Chicago

A person of interest is in custody in connection with the murder of a security guard working at a jewelry store at the River Oaks Mall in Calumet City on Wednesday, according to police spokesman Sean Howard.

The identity of the person of interest is unknown and no charges have currently been filed.

Police said the investigation into the shooting is continuing and anyone with information is asked to call Calumet City Police at 708-868-2500.

A day of holiday shopping at the River Oaks Mall quickly turned into a tragedy on Wednesday after armed robbers shot and killed a store security guard before fleeing with an unknown amount of goods, police say .

The victim, a 57-year-old security guard at a jewelry store, was taken to a nearby hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries, officials said. He has not yet been identified.

Authorities say the incident happened around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday at a jewelry store inside the River Oaks Mall in the suburb of Calumet City, not far from the Illinois-Indiana border.

Police said gunmen entered the jewelry store, smashed glass counters and opened fire. Witnesses say the gunmen punched the guard several times before fleeing the scene in a vehicle.

“I heard a round of gunfire at Macy’s, but it wasn’t just a single gunshot. It was like an automatic (weapon), ”said client Tracy McGrew. “I couldn’t believe I was in the middle of something that I only witnessed on TV. It was just surreal.

McGrew says she was Christmas shopping early Wednesday when the gunfire broke out. When the incident began, she and a store employee took cover.

“I saw the brick wall, and I thought ‘those might stop the bullets,’ so I went straight over there,” McGrew said. “So we both locked ourselves in a storage room and called 911.”

Another mall customer, Tonya Davis, said she was receiving a pedicure at the time of the shooting.

“I was doing my feet and looked up from my phone. All you could hear was five or more gunshots,” she said. the jeweller’s.”

Here’s the NBC 5 Nightly Update for Wednesday, November 16, 2022.

Davis says the moment she was able to react, she could see the guard had been shot.

“He was lying on the floor, still breathing,” she said. “There were officers on all sides trying to perform CPR.”

George Brown, an employee of a hair salon in the mall, said he knew the guard.

“He worked with my dad on the railroad,” he said. “It’s insane.”

At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, police said the incident appears to be isolated and the motive is currently unknown.

Officials said officers from Calumet City as well as nearby police departments responded to the scene and mall stores “quickly initiated lockdown procedures” when the incident occurred.

The mall will be closed on Thursday, authorities said. There is currently no one in custody and police continue to investigate the shooting.