Lane Bryant shooting
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| Lane Bryant shooting | |
|---|---|
| Location | Tinley Park, Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Date | February 2, 2008 approx. 10:45am (UTC-6) |
| Attack type | Armed robbery |
| Weapon(s) | Unspecified firearm |
| Deaths | 5 |
| Injured | 1 |
| Perpetrator | Unknown |
The Lane Bryant shooting was an incident of mass murder and armed robbery at a Lane Bryant clothing outlet in the Brookside Marketplace in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park, Illinois, United States, that occurred on February 2, 2008. The shooting resulted in five fatalities, and the injury of another.
Police do not yet know the identity of the shooter. Police released a sketch of the suspect on February 11, receiving two dozen leads the first day.[1]
[edit] Details
Four customers, a part-time employee, and the store manager, all women, were taken to the back of the store and shot. Five of the women were killed, but the part-time employee was only wounded and survived. Police found the victims shortly after receiving an emergency call at 10:45 a.m. The gunman was described as a black man with thick, cornrowed hair and a receding hairline,[2] along with one braid lying over the right side of his face at cheek level and decorated with four light-green beads on the end.[3] Police believe it was a robbery "gone awry."[4]
The victims are:[2]
- Connie R. Woolfolk, 37, of Flossmoor;
- Sarah T. Szafranski, 22, of Oak Forest;
- Carrie H. Chiuso, 33, of Frankfort;
- Rhoda McFarland, 42, of Joliet, the store manager;
- Jennifer L. Bishop, 34, of South Bend, Indiana
- The identity of the survivor was protected by police and as of April 6, 2008 had not been released to the media.
[edit] Aftermath
The shopping center was temporarily closed and locked down while being searched. It was reopened after police found that the gunman had left the immediate area.[5]
Illinois senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama released a statement following the killings:
| “ | I was deeply saddened to learn about the shooting in Tinley Park, and my heart goes out to the victims' families. This kind of violence is unacceptable -- not just in a shopping center where we're supposed to feel safe, but wherever it occurs. And as the facts become clear, I hope the authorities find and prosecute whoever is responsible for this tragedy.[6] | ” |
A $100,000 reward, half of which was donated by Lane Bryant's parent company, Charming Shoppes Inc., was offered for information leading to the gunman's arrest.[2] On February 6, 2008, Lane Bryant announced the establishment of The Lane Bryant Tinley Park Memorial Fund in honor of the five women who were killed.[7] Lane Bryant also offered to pay for the victims' funerals.
[edit] References
- ^ Maureen O'Donnell, Chicago Sun-Times. "Sketch of Lane Bryant suspect nets 2 dozen leads", February 11, 2008.
- ^ a b c Michael Tarm, Associated Press. "5 shot dead at suburban Chicago store", February 3, 2008.
- ^ Michael Tarm, Associated Press. "Police describe shooting suspect", February 5, 2008.
- ^ "Five women killed in Chicago-area store shooting", Reuters, 2008-02-02. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
- ^ "5 dead in strip mall shooting; gunman at large", CNN, February 3, 2008.
- ^ "Obama statement on Tinley Park shootings", Chicago Tribune, February 2, 2008.
- ^ "Lane Bryant creates memorial fund for shooting victims", Blast Magazine, February 6, 2008.
