Six people, including a gunman, died in a mass shooting at a manufacturing firm Friday afternoon, and five officers were struck by gunfire, officials said.
Authorities confirmed the shooter, Gary Martin, 45, was killed in a shootout with police. Police said he was a 15-year veteran of Henry Pratt Co. in the industrial park in the Chicago suburb, and was getting fired Friday.
For the latest on the shooting from Aurora, including the identities of the victims and more on how the suspected gunman got his weapon, click here.
Here is how the news unfolded on Friday:
10:30 p.m.
Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said Martin was acting alone.
Ziman estimates hundreds of law enforcement came out today in response to the shootings.
9:40 p.m.
At an evening press conference, Ziman said that the first two officers were shot shortly after arriving. Other officers arrived to help and rescue the responding officers, as well as give aid.
Ziman said that the shooter was a 15-year veteran of the company and that information they had indicated he was going to be terminated Friday.
Martin fired a Smith & Wesson handgun, she said.
It was unclear, Ziman said, if the shooting was planned beforehand.
Original reports also indicated that Martin was initially shooting at police from a window, she said.
The entire incident lasted 1 hour and 35 minutes, she said, ending when police found the gunman hiding inside the building and shot him.
All of the officers shot were shot within the first 5 minutes of arrival, Ziman said, pushing Martin inside until they were eventually able to find him.
Ziman said police were still contacting family of the deceased and would not release identities this evening.
Authorities have executed a search warrant at Martin’s home, she said, looking for evidence.
There are 200 people who work at this plant, but Ziman said she could not say how many were at work Friday. All of the officers who were shot were male, Ziman said.
Ziman commended the help of all of the officers who arrived to help from around the state. She applauded the officers, too, who were being shot at and continued to help. “They took on gunfire but pressed on” until they located the shooter, she said. “They are true heroes.”
9:37 p.m.
Statement from the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office:
Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the Aurora Police, the Aurora community, and the families of the victims involved in today’s tragedy. We stand with our brothers and sisters in blue, and the world, in praying for a speedy recovery for the Aurora Officers injured, as well as the innocent victims who’s lives have been forever changed. We will never forget the innocent lives lost far too soon, and pray their families and friends can one day find peace.
9:04 p.m.
Statement from Mueller Water Products:
8:23 p.m.
Some family members of the shooter gathered at a west suburban home Friday night were visibly emotional. They asked for privacy to mourn.
“We are mourning for the victims and we are mourning for our families,” said one woman, who declined to be identified but spoke on behalf of the family. “We need peace. … We’re worried about the other people who were killed and hurt. Our family has to mourn too because we lost one too.” — Linda Girardi
6:06 p.m.
A spokeswoman for Advocate Health said she could confirm there is one patient at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital and one patient at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. Condition reports are not available at this time.
6:02 p.m.
What is today the Henry Pratt Company, which makes valves, began in 1901 as a metal fabricating shop, according to the company’s website. Its administrative headquarters are located in Aurora, and the company also has manufacturing plants in Aurora, Washington, and Indiana. The company is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Mueller Water Company. — Sarah Freishtat
5:51 p.m.
Martin’s mother told WGN: “My heart goes out to all the victims.”
5:50 p.m.
Appearing at the press conference with Aurora officials, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said there was no way for him to prepare for this kind of event, the first tragedy of his administration.
“There are no words for the kind of evil that robs our neighbors if their hopes, their dreams and their futures,” he said. “There are no words to express our gratitute to the officers who were wounded in the line of duty as they responded to the gravest kind of danger they could face.” — Peter Kendall
5:48 p.m.
Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said the department received a call for shots fired around 1:24 p.m. at 641 Archer Avenue, a manufacturing warehouse. At 1:28 p.m., officers were fired upon immediately and 2 of the 4 officers who entered at first were shot.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker acknowledged the first responders and every single law enforcement officer who helped secure the scene. “You rushed toward danger and doing so, saved lives.” — Megan Jones
5:18 p.m.
According to the Associated Press: Presence Mercy Medical Center spokesman Matt Wakely said that the hospital received three victims from the shooting. Wakely said two were being treated and the third has been transferred via helicopter to another hospital. No conditions were available. No victims had been sent to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove as of Friday evening, spokeswoman Kate Eller told the AP.
5:06 p.m.
Rush Copley Hospital said in a tweet it had received three patients from the shooting in Aurora, and did not expect to receive more. Earlier in the day, the hospital said it had received two patients. — Sarah Freishtat
5:02 p.m.
Tom Santelli was making a delivery for his company, Long Supply on Cleveland Street, when the event took place. He could not get into his company.“I’m trying to get to work so I can go home,” the 52-year resident said, standing outside his truck, staring into a sea of police at the scene. — Steve Lord
4:47 p.m.
According to a news release from his office, Gov. J.B. Pritzker will attend a press briefing at the Aurora Police Department at 5:30 p.m.
4:37 p.m.
Bob Gonzalez, president of the school board of the nearby West Aurora School District 129, lives and works what he estimated was 50 feet from the Henry Pratt Co. His twin 4-year-old grandchildren were in his home upstairs and he was talking with a client in his State Farm office downstairs when they heard sirens and squad cars fly by.
They at first assumed it was a fire, but when the squads kept coming for the next 20 minutes, they knew it was more. He saw cars from Aurora and other nearby agencies, state police troopers and a homeland security vehicle.
As soon as he heard it was a shooting, he locked the doors to his office, closed the blinds upstairs, took his grandchildren to a bathroom in the back of the apartment and told them to stay away from the windows. They asked questions and he tried to keep them calm, telling them that maybe it was just a fire, “but I was very scared at the same time,” he said.
Gonzalez said Aurora has shootings, but he can’t remember anything like this in the 31 years he’s lived in the city.
“It’s kind of unsettling,” he said. “It just makes me wonder, here, the door to my office is always unlocked, I see my clients come in, I know my clients, but it makes me wonder whether now I should have some kind lock that I can lock from the inside and keep my door locked at all times. It’s very scary.”
His school district also has elementary schools less than two miles from the site of the shooting, and he immediately thought of the students and got in touch with the district superintendent when he heard the sirens.
“I’ve seen it on the news happening someplace else,” he said. “But never here in Aurora.” — Sarah Freishtat
4:31 p.m.
Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge President Chris Southwood issued a statement regarding the shooting. The four officers are members of Aurora FOP Lodge # 11, according to a news release.
“Every police officer dreads days like this one, yet these four courageous Aurora officers and their colleagues did not hesitate to literally put their lives on the line today to stop further bloodshed. These four heroes willingly ran into harm’s way to protect their fellow citizens and very nearly paid the ultimate price. We Illinoisans should be humbly grateful for their sacrifice, and we ask that you join us in praying that the injured civilians and police officers make a full and speedy recovery.”
4:26 p.m.
Local U.S. Rep Bill Foster, a Democrat, on Friday afternoon issued a statement on the shooting that took place at the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora, according to a news release from his office:
“I am deeply disturbed by the senseless gun violence that struck the Aurora community today. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. While we wait for more details, it’s clear we owe a debt of gratitude to law enforcement and the first-responders who rushed into harm’s way to protect innocent people. Our country needs to take immediate action to stop what has become an epidemic of gun violence in our nation. I, along with the majority of Americans, refuse to accept this fact as a normal part of our way of life at work, schools, and in our communities. Every person deserves the right to go to work or school without the threat of violence.”
Kelley Munch, communications specialist with the City of Naperville, said both the police and fire departments from Naperville assisted in the incident. — Suzanne Baker
4:21 p.m.
According to the AP, The White House says President Donald Trump has been briefed on a shooting and is monitoring the situation.
Spokesman Sarah Sanders issued her statement Friday as Trump prepared to depart for a weekend trip to his home in Palm Beach, Florida.
3:54 p.m.
An employee named John Probst told ABC-7 he was in the building when the shooting took place. He identified the gunman as a co-worker.
“One of the guys was up in the office, he said this person was shooting and he come running down and he was bleeding pretty bad,” he said. “ … What I saw was the guy running down the aisle with a pistol with a laser on it.”
3:47 p.m.
From Kane County Undersheriff Pat Gengler on behalf of the Aurora Police Department:
“The incident on Highland Ave and Archer Ave. in Aurora has been contained. We believe at this time there is no ongoing threat to the public. Public should expect to see ongoing police activity as we investigate the incident. “
3:45 p.m.
Aurora University said in a tweet Friday afternoon that classes were canceled for the rest of the day at the main campus. Earlier, the school told students on campus to go into the nearest available building and shelter-in-place, and told students off-campus to stay away. — Sarah Freishtat
3:43 p.m.
By 3:35 p.m., the ambulances and fire trucks appeared to have left the scene. Around 50 police cars were still there, joined by several tank-like police vehicles that lumbered toward the entrance. — Megan Jones
3:39 p.m.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin in a tweet said he is monitoring the situation. “My heart breaks for Aurora. I’m tracking updates on the situation with my staff. Thank you to the members of law enforcement who are responding to the emergency,” the tweet said.
3:21 p.m.
Tiffany Probst first heard of a shooting at her father’s workplace when her friend alerted her to a Facebook post. She jumped in her car and drove toward the company but couldn’t get close. She quickly learned the shooting happened in the building where her dad, John, works.
Her father, though is old school, and doesn’t carry a cellphone, she said. She had no way to reach him. The minutes ticked by as she sat in the car and watched the police response unfolding on her phone.
“We’re sitting there staring at the screen and watching SWAT about to go in,” she said.
Finally, after about 15 minutes, her father managed to find someone with a phone and called her, and relief replaced her growing panic. — Madeline Buckley
3:13 p.m.
Rush Copley hospital officials in Aurora said in a tweet they are “assisting those involved in the active shooter incident” and had received two patients who were being treated for non-life threatening injuries. — Sarah Freishtat
2:40 p.m.
Aurora police pinpointed the active shooting location to 641 Archer Ave.
Roads are blocked off in the area and vehicles belonging to Aurora police and the Kane County sheriff as well as ambulances and fire truck were seen speeding down Lake Street to respond. State police and DuPage County officials also responded.
West Aurora School District schools are holding all students in place for their safety due to the incident in the area, according to a statement.
No one will be allowed to leave or enter the buildings until the lockdown has been lifted, according to the statement. — Megan Jones
