A 19-year-old Woodridge woman is in stable condition after being shot at a Halloween party in Bloomington that killed one person and wounded eight others.
The Quincy University student was hit in the chest, arm and abdomen during the Nov. 1 shooting, according to KHQA. Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington confirmed Monday, Nov. 2, that her condition had improved from critical to stable. Her name has not been released, and her family has requested privacy.
The shooting happened around 1:21 a.m. in a shared backyard behind rental buildings in the 100 block of East Division Street, near the Illinois Wesleyan University campus, WGLT reported. An estimated 150 to 200 people had gathered for the party.
Giana Dettloff, 19, of Carol Stream, was killed. McLean County Coroner Dr. Kathleen Yoder said Dettloff died of multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and pelvic region. Dettloff was a freshman and cheerleader at North Central College in Naperville who was visiting a friend in Bloomington, ABC 7 Chicago reported.
The eight surviving victims ranged in age from 16 to 22 and included students from Illinois Wesleyan University, Illinois State University, Quincy University and two area high schools, according to WGLT.
Quincy University said in a statement that four of its students had traveled to the party. Three were not physically harmed. The university said it is providing counseling and spiritual care to its campus community.
No arrests, police seek witnesses
As of midday Nov. 2, no one was in custody, CBS News Chicago reported. Investigators had not determined whether one person or multiple people opened fire.
Simington said officers, including himself, had patrolled the area before the shooting and noticed nothing alarming.
"This party was noticeably peaceful, jovial, and there were no disturbances witnessed or reported prior to the shooting," Simington said, according to KHQA. "There was no indication or warning that a shooting would occur."
An officer responding to a nearby call heard about 10 shots and arrived within a minute, finding a man with a gunshot wound to his arm, according to WGLT. Officers then found three more wounded people in the backyard. At least 30 patrol officers from the Bloomington Police Department, Illinois State Police, McLean County Sheriff's Department and other agencies responded.
Bloomington Police spokesperson Officer Bryce Janssen said the department believes the shooting was an isolated incident.
He acknowledged that some witnesses may hesitate to come forward because underage drinking may have occurred at the party.
"What we are focused on right now … is the shooting investigation and only the shooting investigation," Janssen said, according to WGLT.
Police asked anyone with cell phone footage, doorbell camera video, text messages or social media posts from the area to contact them at 309-434-2532 or [email protected].
