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CRETE, Ill. — A tragic shooting incident unfolded early Sunday in the far south suburbs, resulting in a fatality.
The Will County Sheriff’s Office in Crete has had a hectic week, with the latest incident involving a family gathering that ended in violence.
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The Sheriff’s Office responded to numerous 911 calls reporting a significant altercation on State Line Road in Crete.
Upon arrival, deputies encountered a large group of people and discovered that three individuals had been shot.
The injured were transported to nearby hospitals, where one succumbed to their injuries. The two remaining victims are currently in critical condition.
The identity of the person killed has not yet been released, but the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said he was a 20-year-old man.
Will County officials said the shooting happened during a family party and it appeared to be an isolated incident with no further threat to the public.
SEE ALSO | Family mourning 3 girls, grandfather killed in Crete house fire: ‘They were full of life’
A Will County crime scene investigator walked along South State Line Road later in the morning Sunday, looking for evidence down a long Crete driveway.
“When the police arrive, I can hear a woman, she was crying too loud, and she say, ‘Please, God, not my son,’” neighbor Beatrice Diaz said.
Diaz lives a couple farms away. Around 1:30 a.m., she was awakened by her dogs, who seemed nervous.
“When I’m back to my to my bed, I hear like somebody shooting six or seven times and maybe like five seconds later, another people shooting three times after that, maybe five minutes later,” Diaz said.
Diaz says five minutes later, at least 20 police cars showed up. She says the family are nice people who have never caused problems, but another neighbor says he hears parties all the time.
“There’s a lot goes on over there,” neighbor Raymond Roop said. “You hear a lot of partying, noise and music, and real loud.”
Sunday morning’s shooting follows a week of tragedies for the small town of Crete. The rural community sits on the border of Indiana.
Last Monday, three family members were found dead inside a home. An Indiana woman was charged with first-degree murder.
Early Wednesday morning, a grandfather and his three granddaughters were killed in a massive house fire.
“Everybody is really quite, everybody really nice, only your hear about some dog outside, a cow or horse, but nothing like this,” Diaz said.
The Will County Sheriff’s Office was not available for comment Sunday.
Investigators remained on the scene for several hours. So far, no charges been filed.
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