Three injured in drive-by shooting at Six Flags amusement park

August 19, 2022

Three people were injured Sunday night, August 14, at a Six Flags amusement park after a drive-by shooting in Gurnee, Illinois. The theme park, Six Flags Great America, was evacuated after gunfire was reported around 7:50pm.

An early summary stated that the shooters had jumped out of a white sedan and shot at guests in the parking lot, and drove off. Two victims were transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Illinois. Another victim declined transportation to the hospital, and instead was treated on-site. The victims, ranging from ages 17-19, suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Guests inside the park had uploaded video to social media, showing guests hiding in restaurant kitchens and ride lines, while others were escaping through backstage areas.

A spokeswoman for the theme park released a statement to the press, saying that "shots were fired from a single vehicle," and that "[p]ark security personnel and officers... responded immediately." Gurnee police clarified that the incident was not an active shooter incident inside the park, but it was a targeted shooting. No one was in custody as of Sunday night and at that time, the situation remained under investigation.

The park re-opened on Monday morning and the hospitalized victims were released.