DUPAGE COUNTY, Illinois (WLS) — The man killed in a shooting that left 22 others injured early Sunday morning near Willowbrook in the southwest suburbs has been identified.
Reginald Meadows, 31, of Willowbrook, died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen, the DuPage County Coroner’s Office said Monday morning.
Robert Fakhouri, a lawyer for the victim’s family, said they are now taking legal action against the property owner for wrongful death, claiming they failed to take any safety precautions to ensure the safety of the crowd.
“He is a resident of this neighborhood. He was there gathered with his friends and family. He was not the only one injured in his group of friends and family,” Fakhouri said. “The third year that they’re doing this meeting, knowing that a previous occasion of this specific event that there was an instance of violence, to make sure that you don’t have adequate security measures is completely unreasonable. to lead to problems like this . And, if you’re inviting people onto your private property, you need to make sure it’s safe to do so.”
Meadows was among 23 people shot in the parking lot of a mall that remained blocked off to customers Monday morning.
Investigators described the incident as a “peaceful Juneteenth Saturday gathering that turned violent.”
Cell phone video shows the moments after shots were fired in the parking lot near Route 83 and Honeysuckle Rose Lane in unincorporated Willowbrook.
People can be seen running and holding each other for protection.
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“Last year, me and my kids were here, and it was nice. They were residents, a bunch of families out, they had a DJ, and it was a good time to celebrate Juneteenth in the neighborhood. But for for some reason this year, it really got out of hand,” said neighbor Jenilynn Humble. “I went out earlier at night, and it felt a little rough, it felt bad. So I ended up going home about 15 minutes later. I heard a lot of gunshots, scary.”
DuPage County sheriff’s deputies said they were monitoring the Juneteenth gathering Saturday that began around 6 p.m.
They were called briefly for a 911 call, when deputies heard gunshots and immediately returned. People were trampled while dodging bullets.
“It was like 80 shots, almost continuously,” said Natalie, a witness. “Basically, everyone was just trying to protect themselves.”
The victims were taken to various hospitals in DuPage, Cook and Will counties.
Their ages were still unknown Monday.
Meanwhile, ABC7 and Fakhouri’s family attorney have been unable to locate the owner of the property.
DuPage County officials did not immediately share any information about who might be responsible for the shooting.
They are still in the process of interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance video.
In a news release Monday, the sheriff’s office said detectives are working to find additional witnesses and victims who may not have sought medical attention for their injuries.
President Joe Biden “has been tracking” the incident, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.
He said the White House had “reached out to state and local officials to provide any necessary federal assistance.”
“It’s devastating,” he said. “It’s tragic. This kind of gun violence has to stop, and the president is going to keep using his bully pulpit to talk about it. He’s going to keep doing everything he can.”
