3 injured in shooting during funeral at Salvation Army church; 1 in custody, Blue Island police say

BLUE ISLAND, Ill. (WLS) -- Three people were shot at a church Friday afternoon in the south suburbs, and a person is in custody.

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The shooting happened around 3:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Salvation Army Community Center church in Blue Island, located at 2900 W. 127th St., authorities said.

One person is in custody after family members were inside the building mourning the loss of a young woman killed earlier this month when suddenly gunfire erupted from outside. Relatives said it was gang-related.

A barrage of bullets in Blue Island left three people hit by gunfire Friday afternoon during a family's celebration of a young life cut short.

"My baby is gone, and then this happened!?" witness Deneen Allison. "We're mourning and this happened?"

The shooting happened during a repast funeral service for 19-year-old Princess Bell, who was shot and killed alongside an 18-year-old man in Chicago's Washington Heights neighborhood on June 3. Her grandfather, Kenneth Allison, said an argument broke out between people he doesn't know.

"They all were talking about whatever gang or whatever group they were into it, they were going to pay." Allison said.

Then, relatives said, at Bell's repast at the Salvation Army community center near Minnesota & Francisco Avenue, multiple gunmen pulled up and fired shots from the parking lot.

"The ones that started all of this, they're the first ones running past the kids that we're trying to get in the back out of harm's way," Allison said.

Police told ABC7 when the shooting happened, a guest who was at the repast, and had a concealed-carry license, fired back. A source told ABC7 the attendee with the CCL shot one of the offenders when their gun jammed.

"At that time, one of the occupants of the building who possessed a concealed-carry permit returned fire," Blue Island City Administrator Tom Wogan said.

That person was not shot, but police said two other people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries and a third person was transported in critical condition.

"If it is, indeed, a retaliatory incident, we do not know for sure yet, but obviously this area has seen too many of these and it's always tragic," Wogan said.

At this time investigators are not releasing more information on the people shot.

Chopper 7 was over the scene as police investigated. Crime tape and evidence markers could be seen.

Police continue to investigate and are looking into surveillance video to identify the vehicle involved in the shooting and the remaining suspects.

No further information about the shooting was immediately available.