Recently Fired Employee Fatally Shoots 2 Workers at Chicago’s Navy Pier

A recently fired employee killed two workers at Chicago’s Navy Pier on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The attacker, who has not been named since he has not yet been charged, was fired from his job at the Chicago tourist attraction on October 14.

On Tuesday, the fired employee gained access to an office space near a loading dock at the pier, police Chief of Patrol Jon Hein told reporters. The former worker then shot a 51-year-old who was identified as Lamont Johnson and a 47-year-old man whose name has not been disclosed before fleeing the scene, according to police.

Navy Pier is a 50-acre lakefront attraction with shops, restaurants, entertainment and a popular Ferris wheel along Lake Michigan.

Navy Pier Executive Responds

Brian Murphy, Navy Pier’s chief operating officer, told local ABC-affiliated station WLS-TV that the fired worker “had access” to the office space where the shooting took place.

“As a former employer of the subcontractor, he had access,” Murphy said. “He knew how to get to that back loading dock area, and then we used our cameras to identify the fact that he left the pier.”

Although the shooting did not occur in a public area, there was a short lockdown of the Pier.

Employees Speak Out

Navy Pier worker Diamond Foster said of the incident, “We had to lock the entire store down, lock the entire Navy Pier.”

“Everyone was just shutting down. We had customers come into the back,” she told WLS-TV.

Stephanie Knowles, who works at a souvenir shop, said, according to The Associated Press, that her manager got a call and told employees to “start closing everything down.”

Knowles said that employees turned off the lights and hid in the back of a storage room.

“I was a little nervous, you know, when you think about the high school shootings,” she said. “I’ve never had to live through that, so this was the closest thing that I’ve had to that experience.”

‘Absolutely Devastated’

The two victims worked for Levy Restaurants, which said in a statement that the company was “absolutely devastated” by the incident “and the shocking loss of two of our family members.”

“Our hearts break for their families and loved ones, whose lives are forever changed,” Levy Restaurants said.

Murphy also shared condolences to the victims’ families on behalf of Navy Pier, according to WGN-TV, a local station for The CW.

Chicago police said Wednesday morning that no one is in custody for the incident, but told WLS-TV that they know who they are looking for.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.