2 men shot dead at Navy Pier; Police are looking for disgruntled ex-employee

CHICAGO (CBS) — Two men were shot at Navy Pier Tuesday afternoon, and police believe a disgruntled former employee was behind the shooting.

Chicago Police Chief Jon Hein said at 1:18 p.m. officers were called about several shots fired on the north side of Navy Pier, where drivers pull into the pier’s garages. Hein said the shooting occurred in an administrative office in the loading docks at Navy Pier.

Police believe a former employee entered the loading dock and opened fire, shooting two men. Both were shot in the head and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where they died, Hein said.

The victims were 47 and 51 years old and worked for a contractor.

Late Tuesday, police were still searching for a suspicious person. Belmont area detectives remained on scene and investigated.

Navy Pier Chief Operating Officer Brian Murphy said the shooting was an isolated incident that occurred in a non-public area of ​​Navy Pier. Still, Navy Pier immediately implemented safety protocols and went into lockdown with a curfew.

“As soon as we were able to determine that the perpetrator had left the property and the police were able to verify that, we were back at Navy Pier and open,” Murphy said.

Murphy said police and Navy Pier officials never believed the public was in danger and believed the shooting was targeted.

Navy Pier is the most popular tourist attraction in Illinois, and many people and families were visiting the attraction from out of town when the shooting occurred – despite the rain and even though it was Election Day.

In the end everyone was locked up for a little over an hour.

“Our manager got a call from the manager of Navy Pier telling him that we needed to start the lockdown – that there was an active shooter,” said Stephanie Knowles, who works at Navy Pier. “So he started locking himself up and we just huddled in the back of our storage room.”

Some people who were indoors at Navy Pier did not hear the shots. But when they stepped outside and saw such a police presence, it became clear that something serious had happened.

“The police were just everywhere. She just came through and started telling people to get out of the way, they were moving people around, no cars were coming through. They blocked it off,” said Leena Porter, who was visiting Navy Pier on Tuesday. “It’s crazy. I just hope they get the one they were looking for.”

Some visitors to Navy Pier decided to follow the employees to safety.

“We were walking and some co-workers asked, ‘Hey, have you all heard the news?’ And we were like, ‘What happened?’ They said, ‘There’s an active shooter,’ and we said, ‘Where are we going?'” said Anthony Faulkner, who was visiting from Texas. “So we just followed them into an office and sat down with the HR people at the back of the hotel. We just sat in the room. We didn’t know much. They just said that two people were shot at the loading deck or dock, and that was it.

Trent Halasek, visiting from Cincinnati, Ohio, said he saw officers in full riot gear and SWAT gear at Navy Pier, leading him to believe the shooter may still be walking around the pier.

“My first thought was that there was some protest against the election or something. But then I saw them come out quickly – they immediately pulled out an automatic rifle, a full body kit and the little SWAT shields and got ready to leave,” Halasek said, “and then at that point six, seven, eight more SUVs.”

Former Chicago mayor and CBS News Chicago political analyst Lori Lightfoot noted that Navy Pier has very specific information Security protocols to ensure officers proactively communicate with vendors, employees and the public in the event of an incident. Navy Pier COO Murphy is himself a police officer and chief of the Chicago Police Department.

Lightfoot also noted that police officers were likely combing the entire Navy Pier with cameras, which likely made it easier to identify the suspected shooter.

No weapon was recovered at the scene.