One killed, two others shot at Illinois WeatherTech facility
By Rebekah Riess and Hannah Sarisohn, CNN
A suspect is in custody following a deadly shooting at a WeatherTech facility in Bolingbrook, Illinois, on Saturday morning, according to the Bolingbrook Police Department.
One person was killed, while another shooting victim remains in critical condition, Bolingbrook Police Captain Anthony Columbus said. A third victim was released from the hospital.
All three victims were WeatherTech employees, police said in a news release.
The shooting suspect, identified as Charles C. McKnight Jr., 27, was with a temporary employment agency and had been assigned to the WeatherTech Facility earlier this month, police said.
CNN has not been able to identify an attorney for McKnight.
Bolingbrook Police were dispatched to the facility around 6:25 a.m. local time, according to police. The suspect was taken into custody about three hours later, authorities said.
A preliminary investigation indicated McKnight was confronted by other employees toward the end of the overnight shift after allegedly stealing a watch and a wallet at gunpoint from two co-workers, police said.
An argument took place during the confrontation and the suspect pulled out a gun and shot three co-workers, authorities said.
Authorities do not believe the shooting was premeditated.
At the time of the arrest, police recovered items connected to the robbery on McKnight and also found a handgun, according to the release.
CNN has contacted WeatherTech for comment. The company manufactures automotive products, including floor mats.
The village of Bolingbrook is a southwest suburb of Chicago, approximately 30 miles from the city center.
“Today, our community has been shattered by yet another act of senseless gun violence,” said Rep. Bill Foster, who represents the 11th Illinois congressional district, in a statement.
“Words cannot express the heartbreak the victims and their families are feeling right now. My thoughts are with them during these difficult times … No one should have to worry about random gun violence while going about their normal lives, and we cannot accept this as a new reality,” he added.
Police say they are working with the Will County State’s Attorney on formal charges.
Saturday’s deadly incident comes after a contentious week in Washington for legislation governing gun regulations. President Biden signed a bipartisan gun safety bill into law, the first major one in decades, while the Supreme Court struck down a New York gun law which places restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun outside the home, marking the widest expansion of gun rights in a decade.
Those developments follow on the heels of other gun violence, including a massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
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CNN’s Hannah Sarisohn contributed to this report.
