Gunman opens fire at Illinois plant, at least one killed
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A gunman opened fire in an industrial building in Aurora, Illinois on Friday, city and law enforcement officials said, killing at least one person and wounding several others before he was taken into custody.
“We have an active shooter incident at 641 Archer Av. This is an active scene. Please avoid the area,” the Aurora Police Department said in a tweet shortly after 2 p.m. central time, adding that additional details would be forthcoming.
The city of Aurora, which is roughly 50 miles west of Chicago, tweeted about an hour later that a suspect had been arrested.
“EMERGENCY UPDATE | 3 p.m. THE SHOOTER HAS BEEN APPREHENDED! The area is still on lock down! More information will be provided soon,” the city said.
At least one person was killed in the attack, a spokesman for the Kane County Coroner said.
CNN, citing local officials and hospitals, reported that four police officers and “multiple” civilians were shot and wounded in the attack.
Two of the people injured in the shooting were taken to Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora where they are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, hospital spokeswoman Courtney Satlak said in an email to Reuters.
The wounded police officers were in stable condition at a local hospital, Clayton Muhammad, spokesman for the City of Aurora, told the local ABC affiliate. Muhammad declined to say how many officers were injured, saying an update would be provided at the news conference.
Video on local media showed numerous police cars surrounding a large commercial building in Aurora, the ground covered in snow.
Witness John Probst told CNN in an interview that he saw the gunman, a co-worker, running down an aisle of the manufacturing facility with a pistol equipped with a laser sight. Probst told the network that he saw people bleeding.
West Aurora School District 129 said on Twitter that all students in the district were being held in a “soft lockdown” on direction of the county sheriff.
A spokeswoman for U.S. President Donald Trump said that he was aware of the incident.
“The President has been briefed and is monitoring the ongoing situation in Aurora, IL,” Sarah Sanders said in a written statement.
Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago, Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee and Steve Gorman and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Leslie Adler and James Dalgleish
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