Man Opens Fire at Family Reunion in Park Attended by About 50: Police

A man opened fire at a family reunion on Saturday night after reportedly getting into a spat with two women at the party.

The incident took place at Maicach Park, which is located in the Chicago suburb of South Holland, Illinois, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The man, whose name has not been disclosed, had allegedly gotten into an argument with his current girlfriend and an ex-girlfriend at the gathering, which had around 50 people in attendance.

The man initially left the party after the fight, but returned later and allegedly continued the dispute with his ex. At a certain point, the man began to open fire at someone. He fired off at least 10 shots “rapid fire,” Andriana Foster, who was at the park with her children when the shooting started, told the Sun-Times.

“By the time I heard [the gunshots] I was near the field and I started running,” she explained. “I was running toward my kids to try to get them to safety.”

As the shooting broke out, an off-duty police officer, who had been attending the reunion, opened fire at the shooter and successfully brought him down. The unnamed man was the only person at the gathering who ended up sustaining an injury during the chaotic scene. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, but ultimately died.

Like the shooter, the off-duty officer’s identity has not been disclosed at this time. It has, however, been reported by NBC Chicago that he currently works for the Palos Hills Police Department, located in another Chicago suburb roughly 17 miles northwest of South Holland.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Individuals with information relevant to the case are asked to call the South Holland Police detectives at 708-331-3131, ext. 2.

Newsweek reached out to the South Holland Police Department for comment.

Another woman who had been near the park pumping gas, identifying herself only as a Katie-Marie, also spoke about the incident with the Sun-Times.

“Once upon a time, it was very rare that you would hear about a shooting in this area,” she said, adding that she had heard the shots “clear as day.”

While the specter of gun violence remains prevalent in and around the Second City, recent statistics indicate that such crimes are trending downward in Chicago this year. As of June 26, 304 homicides were recorded in the city, which is a notable 10 percent drop from the 336 recorded in the same period last year, the Chicago Tribune reported. The number of overall shootings during the first half of the year, 1,220, was also down 17 percent from last year.