At least 3 shot during repass service at Salvation Army center in south Chicago suburbs
BLUE ISLAND, Ill. (CBS) -- At least three people were shot when gunmen opened fired during a service at a Salvation Army community center in Blue Island, Illinois, Friday afternoon, a suburb of Chicago.
Blue Island police said a repass, or repast, service was under way Friday afternoon at the Salvation Army Cross Generations Worship & Community Center, at 2900 W. 127th St.
The service was Princess Jamya Bell, 19, who was shot and killed as an unintended target in Chicago on June 3. An 18-year-old acquaintance of Bell's was also killed in the shooting.
The worship and community center was filled with Bell's friends, family, and loved ones at the time.
Around 3:30 p.m. local time, a vehicle pulled up, and multiple gunmen opened fire in the direction of the building, police said. One person at the service who had a concealed carry permit returned fire, police said.
"Mayhem, you know, just broke out," said Bell's grandmother, Kenneth Allison.
It was not yet known late Friday whether the shooting was retaliatory in nature. But Bell's grandfather believes it was.
"There's a lot of young people, and they're upset because my granddaughter — you know, they loved her, and then of course, some of her friends are wanting revenge," said Allison. "So I guess this is all retaliation."
First responders took two people who were shot to area hospitals with minor wounds, and a third with critical injuries.
These victims were brought to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where public safety staffers were seen at the emergency entrance.
About six or seven family members of one victim were also in the Advocate Christ parking lot, consoling and speaking with each other. They were not ready to speak to reporters.
One more person self-tranpsorted to Roseland Community Hospital with a gunshot wound, though police have not firmly identified this person as a victim.
"If this is indeed a retaliatory incident—we do not know for sure yet, but obviously, this area has seen so many of these," said Blue Island City Administrator Tom Wogan, "and it's always tragic, and it's always sad, and to see that sadness doubled on top of itself is terrible."
In the parking lot of the Salvation Army center — on Minnesota Avenue, just off Francisco Avenue — a cluster of evidence markers were seen on the pavement following the shooting, along with shattered glass in the entryway.
Glenn Holt said he rushed to pick up his son from a nearby daycare.
"The daycare did a good job putting the kids on lockdown and things like that, making sure all the children were safe," Holt said.
A woman who works at the daycare told CBS Chicago she heard as many as 10 gunshots and saw two men running down an alley, trying to hide. The daycare employee said she also heard there was a car full of bullet holes on the street.
Meanwhile, a nearby car dealership, Napleton Lincoln, was locked down after the shooting. A representative of the dealership said rounds came through but did not hit anything.
Later, as police frantically searched for shooters, officers could be seen running toward a potential suspect. Moments after that, a man was put in handcuffs.
"We are deeply saddened that a shooting has occurred at The Salvation Army Blue Island, IL Worship & Community Center and during a repass for a young woman who was shot and killed earlier in the week. Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this act of violence, especially those injured Friday afternoon. We pray for their full recovery and for the healing of the Blue Island community. We also pray for the Blue Island Police Department as they continue their investigation," the Salvation Army said in a statement.
There was no word Friday night on when charges might be expected.