2 people shot, killed at Navy Pier; police seek disgruntled ex-employee
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two people were shot and killed at Navy Pier Tuesday afternoon, and a police believe a disgruntled ex-employee was behind the shooting.
Chicago Police Chief of Patrol Jon Hein said at 1:18 p.m., officers were called for several shots fired on the north side of Navy Pier, where drivers enter to pull into pier garages. Hein said the shooting happened in an administrative office in the loading docks at Navy Pier.
The victims were men, ages 47 and 51, who worked for a contractor.
Police believe an ex-employee entered the loading dock and opened fire—shooting two people. Both were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where they died, Hein said.
As of the 4 p.m. hour, police were still seeking a person of interest. Belmont Area detectives remained at the scene investigating.
Navy Pier Chief Operating Officer Brian Murphy said the shooting was an isolated incident that happened in a non-public area of Navy Pier. Nonetheless, Navy Pier immediately implemented security protocols and was locked down with a shelter-in-place order.
"Once we were able to determine that the offender had left the property and police were able to ensure that, we're back up and open at Navy Pier," Murphy said.
Murphy said police and Navy Pier officials never believed the public was in danger, and the shooting was believed to be targeted.
Navy Pier is the most popular tourist attraction in Illinois, and many people and families were visiting the attraction from out of town when the shooting happened—despite the rain and despite it being Election Day.
Everyone ended up being locked down for just over an hour.
"Our manager got a call from the head of Navy Pier, and to say we needed to start locking down—that there was an active shooter," said Stephanie Knowles, who works at Navy Pier. "So he started locking down, and we just huddled in the back of our storage room."
Some people who were in indoor areas of Navy Pier did not hear the gunshots. But when they stepped outside and saw such a police presence, it became clear something serious had taken place.
"The police, they were just everywhere. They just came through, and they started telling people to come up out of the way, moving people around, no cars were coming through. They blocked it off," said Leena Porter, who was visiting Navy Pier on Tuesday. "It's crazy. I just hope they get whoever they were looking for."
Some visitors to Navy Pier decided to follow staffers to safety.
"We were walking, and some staff was like, 'Hey, did you all hear the news?' And we were like, 'What happened?' They were like, 'There's an active shooter,' and we're like, 'Well, where do we go?'" said Anthony Faulkner, who was visiting from Texas. "So we just kind of followed them into an office and sat down with the HR people in the hotel in the back. We kind of just sat in the room. We didn't know much. They just said there was two people shot on the loading deck, or dock, and that was it."
Trent Halasek, who was visiting from Cincinnati, Ohio, said he saw officers in full riot and SWAT gear on Navy Pier—leading him to believe the shooter might still be on the loose at the pier.
"My initial thought was that there was some protest for the election or something like that. But then I saw them get out quickly—immediately pulls out an automatic rifle, full body kit, the little SWAT shields, and got ready to go," said Halasek, "and then at that time, six, seven, eight more SUVs pulled up."
Former Chicago Mayor and CBS News Chicago Political Analyst Lori Lightfoot noted that Navy Pier has very specific safety protocols in place to ensure that if something happens, officials are proactive in communicating with vendors, staff, and members of the public. Navy Pier COO Murphy is himself a Chicago Police officer and chief.
Lightfoot also noted that police detectives are likely scouring cameras all over Navy Pier, which likely made it easier to identify the suspected shooter.
No weapon was recovered at the scene.