Police: No charges yet
in bowling alley shooting
Officials investigating Sunday altercation involving exchanged gunfire that injured three men in Richton Park
Police continue to investigate a shooting at a Richton Park bowling alley on Sunday that left three males wounded, but have yet to make any arrests, officials said.
The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. at Lakewood Bowl, 5125 Sauk Trail, after two groups of patrons got into an altercation that escalated into an exchange of gunfire inside and outside of the building, police said.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found two males with gunshot wounds, Chief Elvia Williams said. A third victim drove himself to an area hospital.
One of the shooting victims remains hospitalized in critical condition, but the other two were treated and released the same day, police said.
Williams said two of the victims, including the one in critical condition, were associated with the groups involved in the dispute. One of the victims, however, was a bystander, she said.
Detectives brought three people of interest —two adults and one juvenile — into custody for questioning after the shooting, but all have since been released after the department failed to secure criminal charges from prosecutors, Sgt. Douglas Nieukirk said.
“At this time the state's attorneys were not willing to prosecute the people,” he said, adding that all people of interest were from local areas outside the community.
Richton Park police are continuing to investigate the shooting, gather forensic evidence and interview witnesses to decipher exactly what transpired at the bowling alley that morning.
Nieukirk said it's still not clear whether the altercation stemmed from a past beef between the groups — which each comprised “a handful” of people — or whether the dispute started at the bowling alley. It's also not yet known how many shots were fired in total, he said.
Williams called the shooting an “isolated incident” and said the department hadn't previously had problems with the bowling alley, which has been in business in the community for over 20 years.
Lakewood Bowl, which has hosted numerous national and local bowling events over the past two decades and is scheduled to host an NCAA women's bowling tournament next month, released a statement following the shooting saying it would not tolerate violence at its facility.
“We condemn the actions of the individuals involved in this incident and shall not allow such violence to affect our resolve to continue to provide a safe and secure facility for all persons,” the statement reads. “It is our hope that all our patrons and others seeking to bowl will not limit their choice of bowling facilities based on the isolated action of a few individuals.”
John Cooney, a lawyer for the bowling alley, commended first responders and Lakewood Bowl employees for their actions after the shooting.
He said staff called 911 immediately after the shooting started, and even pulled one of the shooting victims into an office and locked the door for safety until police arrived.
“They did over and above,” Cooney said. “Most people would just duck and hide.”
The bowling alley is considering making security upgrades in the wake of the shooting, but plans to get suggestions from Richton Park police before making any decisions, he said.
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