A Chicago man was killed and at least five other people were wounded in a shooting early Saturday at a Bloomingdale hotel that officials say has been a hot spot for crime due to lax security.
People were running from the Indian Lakes Hotel when officers arrived about 2:30 a.m. for a report of gunshots on the fifth floor, according to police in the northwest suburb. Multiple people with gunshot wounds were found inside.
James McGill Jr., 27, was taken to St. Alexius Medical in Hoffman Estates, where he was pronounced dead at 3:16 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. McGill lived in the Englewood neighborhood.
McGill was an up-and-coming rapper from the South Side whose cousin, rapper FBG Duck, was gunned down last summer in the Gold Coast neighborhood, according to social media posts.
Bloomingdale Public Safety Director Frank Giammarese said at least five other people were hit by gunfire, though the exact number was unknown because several people fled the hotel after the shooting — including one or more possible suspects.
No one was in custody, but authorities said the area was “secured and safe.”
Investigators were still piecing together what led to the early morning shooting, but Giammarese said about a hundred people were packed into separate gatherings held on the fifth and sixth floors of the hotel at 250 W. Schick Road.
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An argument between two people in a hallway turned physical before someone started shooting and another person returned fire, Giammarese said. It’s unclear if the gunmen or victims knew one another prior to the attack.
Other victims were treated for gunshot wounds at hospitals in Glendale Heights, Downers Grove and Winfield.
The chaotic scene at Indian Lakes was just the latest in what Giammarese called a “drastic spike in crime” under the watch of the hotel’s current management company, First Hospitality Group.
“We almost predicted that something could happen there,” Giammarese said, referring to a series of past disturbances involving drugs and fights.
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Bloomingdale Mayor Franco Coladipietro said no security guards were on duty when the violence broke out, and that officials “have shared our concerns with the lack of consistent security presence at the hotel” for several years.
“The unfortunate incident that occurred this morning may have been avoided if security was present as First Hospitality Group had promised in our meetings,” the mayor said in an online post, adding that the village would begin the legal process of revoking the hotel’s business license.
In an email, a spokesperson for the Rosemont-based management company said “our thoughts are with the individuals directly impacted by this tragedy.
“We are grateful to our associates who immediately responded to the disturbance and to the Village of Bloomingdale Police Department for their swift intervention. We have worked closely with the Village of Bloomingdale over many years to ensure the safety and security of all guests and associates of the hotel, and will continue to cooperate with this ongoing investigation,” the spokesperson said.
Bloomingdale, a village of about 22,000 people that sits 15 miles west of O’Hare Airport, is a “safe community,” Giammarese said, but like other suburbs, it’s had its share of violent incidents in the past.
“It’s senseless to me that the two groups of people are coming for a party or a rap video or whatever and people end up shooting each other and people are dying,” Giammarese said.
The DuPage County Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigation Team is assisting on the case.
Anyone with information is asked to call (630) 529-9868.
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