MATT A

Five women dead in Tinley Park clothing store shooting




February 2, 2008
BY ANNIE SWEENEY, ART GOLAB, DAVE NEWBART AND CARLY MULLADY
Robbery appears to be the motive in a shooting this morning that left five women dead at a Lane Bryant clothing store in south suburban Tinley Park, a police source said.
Why the shooter targeted the store is anyone’s guess. “It’s not a place where you would find a lot of cash,’’ the source said, adding that a suspect did make off with some valuables.
» Click to enlarge image
The Tinley Park Lane Bryant is in the Brookside Marketplace shopping center in the 7200 block of West 191st Street.
(John J. Kim/Sun-Times)

PHOTO GALLERY

Tinley Park Shooting
RELATED STORIES
NBC5 Video: Tinley Park shootings
The shooter, believed to be a stocky man in a dark knit cap and dark jacket, apparently fled the scene and is not in custody, said Tinley Park Police Sgt. T.J. Grady.
The gunman’s description came from a witness at the scene, the source said, adding it did not appear the store had a video camera. Police, though, are checking for any cameras within a few miles of the Brookside Marketplace shopping center at 191st and Harlem, where the Lane Bryant is located.
The sprawling center, built in recent years, includes some storefronts that have not opened yet, making the Lane Bryant more isolated, the police source said.
“We’re checking every possible means of getting out of this area,” Grady said.
It’s not clear yet if the five women killed were employees or customers, police said.
The victims have yet to be publicly identified. Police have notified some victims’ relatives, but had not reached every one, the source said.
The first call of shots fired came into police at 10:44 a.m., Grady said. The shopping center is just south of Interstate 80 in the south suburb.
Inside, they found mayhem.
“There is no question it was a horrific scene,’’ a police source said. There are at least 40 investigators on the case. Police said late this afternoon that it would take several more hours to process the scene.
Police searched neighboring stores in the center, and used a police helicopter to search the surrounding area, Grady said. Cars in the parking lot were also searched.
Witnesses said police locked down neighboring stores in the center and searched the stores with guns drawn.
Greg Grace of Frankfort, who was in the parking lot outside Lane Bryant, said he saw several stretchers being wheeled into the store. The stretchers later were wheeled out — carrying no patients.
“We’re very sad about it,” a clearly shaken Mayor Edward Zabrocki said from the scene. “It’s ... we’re a victim of our society that we live in.”
Grady released a description of the shooter, saying police are looking for a medium-complected black man standing 5-foot-9, weighing between 230 and 290 pounds and wearing a waist-length black coat, a black knit cap and dark jeans.
The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force is assisting Tinley Park police in the hunt for the killer.
The area of 191st Street and Harlem Avenue was shut down this morning due to the flood of police activity, including a police helicopter landing in the parking lot.
A Target store in the center was on lockdown. And witness Tracy Caccavella of Hometown said she was in a nearby PetSmart that was searched by police with their guns drawn.
The officers came in, told store officials not to let any more customers in, and proceeded to search the store for 20 minutes before giving the all clear, said Caccavella, who was at the pet store for a pet adoption event.
Sara Miroballi, 13, was at dance class in a studio near the Lane Bryant when the shooting happened.
She said one student’s mother came into the studio and locked the doors. The dancers were scared and called their parents, she said.
“We called our parents so we could get home because they didn’t catch the person,” Miroballi said.
Charlotte Vaitkus, a resident of the surrounding area, was shopping when the shooting happened.
“It’s scary,” she said. “We want to issue a statement to the mayor because of the frequency of crime off Interstate 80. We just don’t feel safe.”
Carissa Townsend, 15, of Homewood, was shopping at Brookside Marketplace late Saturday afternoon. “It’s scary cause it’s so close to home,’’ she said.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Tinley Park police at (708) 444-5368.
Annie Sweeney, Art Golab and Dave Newbart are reporters with the Chicago Sun-Times; Carly Mullady is a reporter with the SouthtownStar

__________________


Tan Talk
Administrator

MATT A

This just happend down the street from me.

__________________


Tan Talk
Administrator

JIMJEN

If you are near Lane Bryant ~ are you strictly a "Stand Up" Salon?

or

Do you stock extra acrylics?

__________________
Wanna change my pad?

JIMJEN

^^^ that may be inappropriate.

__________________
Wanna change my pad?

MATT A

This is the next town over but nosy me goes and drives over there to see what's going while I'm waiting to enter the parking lot cops are going car to car with shotguns M-16 etc drawn. I knew them so I just left they are really looking around for this fool though.

__________________


Tan Talk
Administrator

Ezliving_Jim

I'm guessing that the only people carrying guns there are the cops and the criminals. Law abiding citizens are defenseless. Too bad.

__________________
ObamaNation. Sing with the children. Drink the Kool-Aid.

sui generis.
si vis pacem, para bellum

"Even if we win, we will have just eked out a victory, and we can't govern." - Barack Obama.

www.GunBanObama.com



The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." - President Thomas Jefferson.

navigatin1

I'm neither a cop nor a criminal, but try something with me or any of my family, and you'll get to see what a 9mm tastes like!

engfant

You don't have my money or my bud, I'm gunna kill you AND him!

__________________
"And shut your mouth pussycat e fammi un macchiato, pronto!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhHhXukovMU

sunrisetan

This is sad reality...i like the ones like this where theres an off duty cop carrying and blasts the basturds before they kill the innocent!!

MATT A

Really nice area very odd for this to of happend there but they built this big outdoor strip mall off the express way there easy in and out.

__________________


Tan Talk
Administrator