CHICAGO – Three people were injured in a parking lot shooting at a Six Flags Great America amusement park near Chicago on Sunday, according to authorities. No one was killed nor were there life-threatening injuries in the incident.
The Gurnee (Ill.) Police Department said in a statement over its social media channels that the department received 911 calls around 8 p.m. after reported shots were fired at the theme park, which is located about 45 miles north of Chicago in Gurnee, Ill.
The investigation remains ongoing, but initial details released by police described a white sedan entering the parking lot that drove near the park's entrance before several people got out of the vehicle and started shooting towards another target person.
"The shooting ... was not a random act, and appeared to be a targeted incident that occurred outside the park," the police statement read on Facebook.
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According to the statement, two of the shooting victims were transported to the local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, including a 17-year-old from Aurora, Illinois with a thigh wound and a 19-year-old woman from Appleton, Wisconsin with a leg wound. A third victim declined transport to the hospital.
Six Flags Great America said in a statement that park security responded immediately alongside Gurnee officers. Even though the incident technically occurred outside the park, which closes at 8 p.m., remaining attendees remained briefly inside the park for for security purposes before being evacuated following the shooting and 911 call.
The Six Flags statement, via WGN Chicago, read: "Six Flags dedicates our greatest amount of time, talent and resources to safety and security. Layers of preventative measures both inside and outside the park are in place for the protection of guests and team members. We continue to review and enhance our protocol on a daily basis to ensure we are providing the highest level of safety.
"Cameras placed in the parking lot and inside the park, uniformed and plain clothes patrols throughout the property, and advanced screening technology allow us to react quickly and provide important information. The park security team is joined by the Gurnee Police Department, who operates a substation at the park."
The Illinois Six Flags is a 300-acre theme park with 17 roller coasters and three themed areas for children. Gurnee is around 15 miles north of Highland Park, the Chicago suburb where a gunman opened fire on an Fourth of July holiday parade, killing seven people.
USA TODAY has reached out to the Gurnee Police Department for new information as the investigation remains ongoing.
Contributing: The Associated Press.
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