3 dead, 3 hurt in shooting at Illinois bowling alley

The Associated Press

3 years ago

Rockford Police Chief Dan O'Shea, left, walks to a media staging area at the scene of a shootin ... — Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea, left, walks to a media staging area at the scene of a shooting at a bowling alley Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Rockford, Ill. (Scott P. Yates/Rockford Register Star via AP)

Rockford police and other law enforcement agencies investigate on the outdoor deck of a second-floor bar area after a shooting at a bowling alley Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Rockford, Ill. (Scott P. Yates/Rockford Register Star via AP)

ROCKFORD, Ill. — A gunman opened fire inside an Illinois bowling alley, killing three people and injuring three others Saturday night in what authorities believe was a random attack.

A “person of interest” was taken into custody after the shooting at Don Carter Lanes, Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said during a news conference. A subsequent tweet from the police department said a suspect was in custody.

Two of those who were shot were teenagers, O’Shea said.

O’Shea did not immediately release additional information about the victims or the person who was taken into custody. He described the scene as contained and said he did not think any officers fired their weapons while apprehending the person of interest.

Rockford is about 80 miles northwest of Chicago.

The Rockford Register Star reported that 2020 has been the city’s deadliest year for homicides, according to records that date back to 1965. Thirty-five people have been killed in the city this year, breaking the previous record of 31 in 1996.