Shooting in suburban Chicago home kills 4, including the suspected aggressor; 1 wounded

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (AP) — A shooting inside a suburban Chicago home killed three family members, all female, as well as the man believed to be the aggressor, police said. A fourth female victim was seriously wounded.

Officers were called to a home in unincorporated Crystal Lake shortly before 4 a.m. on a “report of a single household member shooting their relatives,” Deputy Tim Creighton of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said during a news briefing.

Three family members were found dead in the home, Creighton said.

“One person believed to be the aggressor was also transported to a local hospital in serious condition and was later pronounced deceased,” he said.

The fourth female victim called police and was transported to a hospital with serious injuries, Creighton said, adding that there was no ongoing threat to the public.

The victims’ ages were not immediately released by the sheriff’s office or the McHenry County Coroner’s Office, and authorities did not provide information on the injuries or type of weapon used.

“They’re all household members,” said Michael Muraski, chief of patrol operations for the sheriff’s office. He said officers had not been called to the home in the past.

Charlie Ayers, the treasurer of the homeowners association in the neighborhood, said it is full of young families and older people who get along and care for the space.

“We really look after each other,” he told the Chicago Tribune. “So, for this to happen is really out of character.”

Ayers said he had never seen anything out of the ordinary at the house where the shooting occurred.

“I was shocked. I was very shocked. I was saddened,” Ayers said. “Tell people who you care about how you feel about them. It can always happen in your own backyard when you least expect it.”

Neighbor Tanya Lee said she learned of the shooting from a neighbor who lived close to the home where it occurred.

“I was scared,” Lee told the Tribune. “I didn’t know what really was going on. I had to make sure all my kids were home.”

The neighbors Lee had spoken with were sad and upset, she said. She described the neighborhood where she has lived for a decade as “quiet, friendly.”

“Stuff like this doesn’t happen,” Lee said.

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