Police said one suspected shooter is in custody, as well as a “companion.” Charges are pending.
Another suspected shooter is still on the loose as of Friday morning, but police said they have some leads.
Squad cars were seen circling the mall throughout Friday morning, but shoppers didn’t seem to be worried, saying they felt safe enough to finish up their Christmas shopping in the western suburb.
“I just wanted to make sure the mall was open,” Tinley Park resident Taura said. “I wasn’t concerned, no, because I saw last night it was an isolated incident, so I knew that it wasn’t like a mass shooting.”
People posted to social media that they were locked down inside stores at the mall for the reported shooting Thursday. Outside the mall, police cars, fire trucks and ambulances seemed to surround just about every exit.
Oak Brook police said a security officer working the holiday detail at Nordstrom heard gunshots shortly after 6 p.m. and immediately called in the incident.
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Police said two people were exchanging gunfire with each other in a corridor area in the east part of the mall adjacent to the Nordstrom.
“It was crazy,” said Camila Reyes, shopper and witness. “It was a lot of shooting. It was a lot of shooting; it was so loud. I was in Nordstrom, but I ran; I was getting out of the store and just ran to another store.”
Four people were injured by gunfire, police said. One of those people is believed to be one of the suspects involved in the shootout. Police said they believe the other three were also struck by gunfire.
Police cleared the mall store by store, investigating the possibility that a third suspect may still be at large. Police said he was wearing a blue puffy coat and is believed to be in his 30s.
Police said the suspected shooter is a man in his 30s, who was shot four times and underwent several surgeries.
The other three shooting victims are two women in their 40s and one woman in her 20s, who were out shopping Thursday night. Each of them was struck once.
All gunshot victims have non-life-threatening injuries, police said. They were stable Friday morning but remained in the hospital.
Additionally, a woman in her 20s twisted her ankle fleeing the shooting and was taken to be treated for a fracture.
“Everybody was panicking,” said Diane Sprague, witness. “We tried to keep everyone calm and safe: Stay away from the windows. We locked the doors, stayed away from the back door. We gave people some water to calm people down. There were children, elderly people. Made sure everybody was not injured.”
WATCH: Witnesses describe shooting at Oakbrook Center
Another man was taken into custody after running into the Nordstrom and attempting to flee, police said. Police said they believe he was the companion to one of the people involved in the shootout.
Two weapons were recovered. Both are pistols, police said, including a 9mm.
Approximately 100 officers from various area law enforcement agencies responded to the mall Thursday night.
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Despite the initial panic of the shooting, the pervasive mood of the scene after the incident was calm, with police working methodically and shoppers generally waiting patiently for their turn to leave.
DuPage County board member Pete DiCianni said he was shopping nearby at the time of the shooting and saw the police response. He said he was told by his family who were locked down at the mall that the shooting happened just outside the Nordstrom store at the mall.
Witnesses said the mall was crowded with last-minute Christmas shoppers at the time of the incident.
Shoppers at the mall explained some of the chaos as holiday music was overtaken by gunshots.
“I start walking, and all I hear is ‘bam, bam, bam.’ And I kinda stop, and I look and I go, ‘no, there’s no way;’ so then I keep walking and all of a sudden I see a stampede of people just running towards me,” said Nicole Stevenson, who was sheltered for two and a half hours at the mall.
Stevenson was just a few stores away from the scene where police say two men were firing pistols at each other.
She ended up sheltering in place at a department store in the mall with 50 other people.
“For the first time I think in my life I was actually fearful for my life that something might happen,” she said.
Family members rushed to the mall to meet their loved ones as soon as the lockdown was lifted.
Police said there is no longer a threat, as the shooting appeared isolated.
“It is really sad and scary,” Nordstrom employee Susie Nash said. “I’ve always felt so safe working here, so you know just thoughts and prayers; I know we have plenty of security.”
Many are still trying to wrap their heads around what happened.
“It was things you see on the movie and when you walk out of the store, your hands are up, you see the SWAT team, all the police. It’s crazy,” Stevenson said.
The last time there was a shooting at Oakbrook Center was nine years ago, Oak Brook police said, when a security officer opened fire during a confrontation.
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