Tapes of calls from frightened shoppers who were witness to the Oakbrook Center Mall shooting have been released by the Oak Brook Police Department to the Dupage Policy Journal this week.
In the recordings callers describe the scene after two Chicagoans opened fire on each other in the open mall.
"Somebody's shooting them all up," one caller said.
“We are up here in the Oakbrook Mall at the (unintelligible) store and we started hearing gunshots,” another caller recounted.
The caller was sheltering in place and did not see the shooters himself like so many others who only saw other shoppers fleeing the scene.
Another caller — seemingly an employee at Nordstrom — noted the shooting took place outside the store.
“There was a gunshot fired outside of Nordstrom in the level mall level one,” the calls said.
The 911 operator noted that the employee should lock down the store and keep shoppers away from the windows.
“Everyone just started coming, running in, maybe about three minutes,” the caller said.
The ensuing lockdown kept some shoppers inside stores for hours before the mall was shuttered for the evening.
“Are the police here already underway?” another caller asked to which the operator responded, “They are on their way.”
Steve Lane, 29, and Tyran Williams, 32, are the alleged gunman. Following the event, Williams needed surgery to repair four gunshot wounds. Three women were among the bystanders who were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Both men are charged with aggravated battery and held on $1 million bond.
The incident was a topper on a violent year in the Chicagoland area. Violent crimes were up across Cook County and Chicago, leading to outbreaks of violence in neighboring areas.
Murders have risen drastically in the region, with Cook County reporting over 1,000 homicides in 2021, the highest amount since 1994. According to Lombard Police Chief Roy Newton, the criminals who should be locked up in Chicago victimize the surrounding areas.
Alerts Sign-up