Manhunt For Gunman In Deadly Shooting Spree
Updated: Oct. 6, 2010, 7:47 a.m.
BEECHER, Ill. (CBS/WBBM) - A manhunt continues Wednesday morning for the gunman who killed one person and injured two others in a string of shootings in Illinois and Indiana.
Newsradio 780's Julie Mann reports the Will County Sheriff's police are on the lookout for a man in his 40s believed to be armed and extremely dangerous who is suspected of opening fire on two people at Stony Island Avenue and County Line Road near Beecher this morning, killing one of them.
CBS 2's Mike Parker reports it all began at a burned-out farmhouse that was being repaired. Three workers were at the scene when a man drove up and asked about buying the place, then drove off.
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A short time later, the man returned and asked about building materials. Then suddenly, without warning, he pulled out a .38 or .357 revolver and started shooting. Two men were shot. A 45-year-old man was killed. A 19-year-old wounded man was taken to the hospital in very critical condition.
CBS 2 has confirmed the man killed was identified as Rolando Alonso, of Hammond, Ind. He was pronounced dead at 2:55 p.m. Tuesday, the newspaper reported. The Northwest Indiana Times identified the surviving victim as Josh Garza, of Hammond. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
The third man ran into a cornfield and called 911.
"As soon as multiple vehicles arrived, they then went into the house, and found another subject that had been shot inside the residence," said Will County Sheriff Paul Kaupas. "And then we were told that there was a third subject, the witness, who ran out into the cornfield. They had to coax him out of the cornfield. He didn't believe, at first, that they were the police."
At the Beecher scene, investigators searched for physical evidence, such as fingerprints and footprints in the construction dust. There's no word yet on what, if anything, they found.
Later Tuesday morning, a suspect with the same description approached a farmer, identified as 62-year-old Keith Dahl, near his home in Lowell, Ind. near 201st Street and Cline Avenue.
The suspect asked Dahl for his wallet. Dahl refused. The suspect then said something about honeybees in the area, pulled a gun and shot Dahl three times; in the shoulder, the left arm and the elbow. He then robbed him. Dahl played dead and the suspect drove off. Dahl is wounded, but survived the shooting. He is in stable condition at St. Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point, Ind.
Police say the suspect is described as a white heavyset man in his 40s, about 5-feet 10-inches tall, and is disheveled looking. Police think he is wearing a light green windbreaker, jeans and possibly a baseball cap. He is driving a 1990s light-colored Chevrolet or Ford pickup truck with a noisy muffler.
CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports that Lake County Sheriff's police held a news conference Tuesday evening in Crown Point, Ind. They said there have been reports of sightings of the suspect, but no firm leads.
"We have a very dangerous situation. I want to report that the suspect is still at large, and that he is armed and dangerous," said Sheriff Roy Dominguez of Lake County, Ind.
Police are advising area residents to exercise caution.
"I think each and every one of them should take whatever personal safety measures they believe is reasonable, to be sure that if you suspect something that is not normal, that it might be the pickup truck or the individual that we have described, to contact us. Dial 911," said Dominguez.
On Tuesday night, Sauk Village Police found a light-colored pickup truck with Wisconsin plates, parked at an odd angle in a lot at Sauk Trail and Torrence Avenue. Since it vaguely resembles the truck used by the suspect, Will County Sheriff's investigators arrived to check it out. It turned out to be a false alarm.
Other avenues are also being pursued by detectives. They are talking to area beekeepers and honeybee hobbyists, since the killer showed some interest in that. They are also checking the records and whereabouts of violent mental patients in the area.
All five schools in the Tri-Creek School Corporation in Lowell, Ind., were placed on lockdown following the shooting. Upon advice from the Lowell Police Department, the schools were locked down due to activitiy in the area that could pose a threat.
Schools in Lowell are closed Wednesday, but the lockdown has concluded.
Authorities aren't clear what the motive behind the shootings is.
WBBM Newsradio 780's Julie Mann and CBS 2's Mike Parker, Roseanne Tellez and Kristyn Hartman contributed to this report.
