Man on the loose after killing 1, injuring 2 in Illinois and Indiana

[News_Editor]

Man on the loose after killing 1, injuring 2 in Illinois and Indiana

2010-10-06 06:30:17 GMT+7 (ICT)

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (BNO NEWS) – An unidentified man on Tuesday killed one person and injured two more in Illinois and Indiana. The man is on the loose and is being described as mentally unstable, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The unknown individual randomly struck conversations about honeybees and plywood with complete strangers before opening fire on them. The first shooting took place at around 10.30 a.m. local time in Will County, Illinois.

A man drove to a fire-damaged house near Beecher. He drove past the house twice asking about the home, about honeybees and about plywood. The residence was under construction by a three-man crew from an Indiana firm that specializes in rebuilding burned buildings.

The third time the suspect returned he opened fire at the crew, fatally shooting a 45-year-old individual in the head. He then proceeded inside the house where he seriously wounded a 19-year-old man in the stomach and head.

The third crew member managed to escape by running into a cornfield after the shooter fired at him. After police officers arrived at the scene, he was shown pictures of possible suspects but he was not able to identify the attacker.

About forty minutes later, a man fitting the description of the gunman wounded a farmer in Lowell, Indiana. The 64-year-old man was driving his pickup truck when a stranger pulled over and began talking about honeybees and plywood.

He then asked the farmer if he knew someone selling a property. The farmer handed him a piece of paper with a fake name and address. In return, the suspect shot him three times. Two bullets pierced his arm and shoulder and the other missed him.

Emergency crews are patrolling the area to look for the assailant. A county sheriff's helicopter is also helping in the search efforts. In addition, two schools in Lowell were placed on lockdown after the shooting.

The suspect is described as a male in his 40's, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and disheveled-looking. He was allegedly wearing a light green windbreaker, a light-colored shirt, light jeans, brown shoes and possibly a baseball cap. He was last seen driving towards Gary, Indiana.

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