2 injured in drive-by shooting outside River Oaks Center Mall in Calumet City

Friday, October 11, 2019
2 injured in drive-by shooting outside Calumet City mall
Two people were wounded in a drive-by shooting near a mall in south suburban Calumet City on Thursday, an official said.

CALUMET CITY, Ill. (WLS) -- Two people were wounded in a drive-by shooting near a mall in south suburban Calumet City on Thursday, an official said.

The shooting occurred in the parking lot near the entrance of Macy's at the River Oaks Center Mall.

Police said a 17-year-old male and an 18-year-old female were seriously injured in the shooting. Police said the shooting did not appear to be a random act, and was not related to the mall.

Workers and shoppers said they thought the shooter was inside the mall at first. An employee of Macy's said she heard the gunshots and there have been too many problems at this mall.

"It is the scariest thing ever to come to work and not know if you are safe, if there is an active shooter in the mall," said Joy Watson, Macy's employee. "We just didn't know what was going on."

Officials said they are attempting to close the mall for the night. An investigation into the shooting is ongoing. No one is currently in custody.

The mall released a statement, saying:

There was an isolated incident at River Oaks Center today. We want the public to know that River Oaks Center holds the safety of our customers, tenants, and employees paramount. We are cooperating with the Calumet City Police Department to address this incident. The Calumet City Police Department is undertaking an active investigation into this incident. The Mall will be open regular hours tomorrow.