CHICAGO (WLS) — Two men were shot and killed at Navy Pier Tuesday afternoon, Chicago fire officials said.
Chicago police and fire crews responded around 1:30 p.m. to a report of a shooting at an administrative office near the loading dock in the 600 block of East Grand Avenue, police said at a news conference Tuesday.
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Police said one of Levy’s employees, who had been fired the previous month, opened fire.
“As the subcontractor’s former employer, he had access. He knew how to get to the aft loading dock area,” said Brian Murphy, Navy Pier’s chief operating officer.
A 47-year-old man and a 51-year-old man, who were former colleagues of the employee, were shot in the head, police said. They were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition. Police said they later died.
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Their identities were not immediately revealed.
The Navy Pier was closed for about an hour, but officials described the incident at the popular tourist destination in the mid-afternoon as an isolated incident.
Chicago police provided an update on the shooting at Navy Pier on Tuesday.
“We had to close down the entire store, close down the entire Navy Pier. Everyone was just closing down. We had customers coming in the back,” said Diamond Foster, a worker at Navy Pier.
Police have identified a person of interest, who is at large.
The shelter in place at Navy Pier was lifted after police determined through security cameras that the shooter had left the area.
“They’re talking, ‘Okay, everyone be quiet,’ but it’s a minor threat,” said William Wright, a visitor to the pier. “Everyone really starts with a simple threat. This is supposed to be Navy Pier.”
Police did not say who they were looking for, saying only that the shooter was a former employee of a Navy Pier subcontractor.
There was a large response from Chicago Police on the north side of the sidewalk near the parking garage. CPD officers wearing tactical gear were seen in the area around 2 p.m
“Automatic weapons, full SWAT gear, armor, the whole works have been taken out,” Ohio resident Trent Halacek said.
Area detectives are conducting the investigation.
No weapon was found, and police remained at the scene around 5 p.m
Levy issued a statement saying, “We are absolutely devastated by today’s tragic events and the shocking loss of two of our family members. Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones, whose lives have been changed forever.”
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