Two injured in 'gang-related' shooting in Prospect Heights

Two people were shot and injured in what police are calling a gang-related shooting Saturday night in Prospect Heights.

Police say officers responded at 12:33 a.m. Sunday to a 911 call from a hotel in the 600 block of Milwaukee Avenue, where an employee reported hearing approximately 10 gunshots, followed by a person who had been shot running inside the hall.

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Police said they later determined that earlier Saturday evening, two known gang associates were in the area of ​​the 500 to 800 block of Piper Lane in Prospect Heights, drinking alcohol and shouting negative statements about a local gang.

As negative comments began to spread in the area, police said, the two men were approached by unknown gang members and told to leave the area or “there will be trouble.”

The two men left the scene and went to a restaurant in the 500 block of Milwaukee Avenue, where they continued drinking beer in the parking lot, police said. That's when a person dressed in dark clothing approached them and fired approximately eight shots from a handgun, according to police.

One victim was hit in the left forearm and the other in the stomach and forearm, police said. One victim was treated and released near the scene, while the other was taken to hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Two other people at the scene, both from out of state and described by police as innocent bystanders, were not injured.

Prospect Heights police, with the help of a Palatine police dog and several other police agencies, searched the area but did not locate a suspected shooter, authorities said. The investigation continues and video surveillance is being reviewed, according to police.