Authorities in northern Illinois are responding to what they term a “mass casualty incident” after reports of multiple people shot on Wednesday.
Emergency services, including ambulances and medical helicopters, rushed to the scene in the Lost Lake community near Dixon, where a significant police presence has been observed, as detailed in a post on the Winnebago Boone & Ogle County Fire/Ems Incidents Facebook page.
At Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital in Dixon, a spokesperson confirmed that three individuals have been transported to the emergency department for treatment.
Efforts to gather further information from the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department have been met with silence, with a spokesperson declining to comment when contacted by The Associated Press. However, the department’s website indicates plans for a news conference scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Aerial footage captured by local media depicts a scene of law enforcement vehicles and personal cars lining unpaved roads throughout the neighborhood. While officials gather in small groups, there appears to be minimal ongoing activity. Yellow police tape has been deployed, blocking access to at least one driveway, and an Ogle County sheriff’s mobile command center has been stationed at the scene.
The Lost Lake community, described by its property owner’s association as a “country style community,” houses approximately 700 residents in an unincorporated area near Dixon, Franklin Grove, and Oregon. The region lies about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Chicago.
As the situation unfolds, residents and authorities alike await further updates on this tragic incident.
