A 17-year-old male and a 19-year-old female were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening leg injuries, police said. A third man suffered a shoulder injury and refused to go to hospital, they said.
“This evening’s shooting was not random and appeared to be a targeted incident outside the park. It was not a shooting inside the park,” Gurney police said.
Gurnee Police and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office were both on scene Sunday night, Rachel Kendziora, the park’s communications specialist, said.
The park was closed early in response to the shooting, Kendziora said. Gurnee police said a Northern Illinois police alarm system assisted in evacuating the theme park for guests and employees.
Gurnee is located about an hour north of Chicago.
Michael Pontrelli and his family were at the park when the shooting happened. He told CNN he got off the Superman ride when he saw groups of people running from the entrance.
“Then we saw (a) parents huddling their children, so my family and I were waiting for permission between these two walls,” he said. “The police ran in with weapons and took everyone out.”
A video captured by Pantrelli shows a heavy police presence outside the park.
In a statement, Kendziora said the park would like to thank the team members who worked to take care of guests and the Gurnee Police for their continued security presence at the park.
“Six Flags devotes a great deal of our time, talent and resources to safety and security,” the statement said. “There are layers of preventative measures in place inside and outside the park for the safety of guests and team members. We review and improve our protocols on a daily basis to ensure we provide the highest level of security.”
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