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There is a report of a shooting in a residence hall at Western Illinois University on the evening of September 15, 2020 that injured a student.
CBS 2 reporter Nick Stewart wrote on Twitter that, in an email to students, “officials confirm one person has been injured at Thompson Hall, a residence hall. Police are responding.” Stewart added, “Campus shooting at @WesternILUniv.”
Continued Stewart, “Officials ask students to follow all instructions from police and if stopped by police, ensure hands are in plain view.”
People were advised to check here for updates, but nothing had been posted yet. The university’s Twitter page had no information about the shooting.
The injured student’s condition is unknown.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Shooting Occurred Late in the Evening
WGEM-TV reported that the injured person was a student. “The shooter was reported at Thompson Hall at approximately 11 p.m.,” but may have left that location. Police were searching for the shooter, according to the station.
A student wrote, “I am a freshman at Western Illinois University. I live on the 16th floor of Thompson Hall. I heard a fire alarm, we all went down the stairwell, went outside into the parking lot. We saw police officers with m4 rifles running into the building. At first we saw over 11 police cars, three fire trucks, and a couple ambulances. My friend said they heard firecrackers or fireworks a couple floors below them. In the parking lot, I smelled gun residue in the air. It was about at this time where the police pushed us back…”
That student continued, “And we saw an ambulance Rush away from the building. It has been confirmed that this ambulance was carrying a gunshot victim. The shooting was most likely on the 12th floor. Police from Monmouth and surrounding counties showed up and there were probably 50 plus vehicles…We then all got told to go to Western recreation center.”
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