The police chief says the suspects who shot a woman in Woodstock earlier this week are not believed to be Woodstock residents and a multi-jurisdictional investigation and search continues.
The Woodstock Police Department received a call around 10:30 p.m. Monday for a report of shots fired in the 1700 block of Yasgur Drive in Woodstock.
Responding officers arrived on the scene and located a woman who had sustained a gunshot wound to her shoulder, according to the police department.
Additional officers arrived on the scene and searched the area for possible suspects but were unable to locate them.
The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District transported the victim to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in Woodstock.
She was then transported by a LifeStar medical helicopter to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Detectives obtained preliminary information from witnesses that indicated a physical altercation occurred outside a residence.
The suspects fired several rounds at the female victim and her acquaintance before fleeing the area in a white sedan, possibly a Cadillac CTS.
An alert sent out across the Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network to area police departments said there were possibly at least four suspects involved, but police officials have not publicly confirmed that yet.
Police have not said yet if the incident was random or targeted, but called it “isolated.”
Lieb said detectives continue to “aggressively investigate” the incident.
Detectives are working with law enforcement in and around the Rockford area to determine if the Woodstock shooting is connected to other crimes in the Rockford region, Lieb said.
The suspects in the Woodstock shooting possibly stole a vehicle and committed several armed robberies in the Rockford region within a short time span of the shooting, Lieb said.
“The Woodstock Police Department wanted to reiterate and assure that the investigation of this incident remains a top priority. The Investigations Division remains committed to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable for their actions,” Lieb said in a Thursday update.
Officers have been conducting extra patrols of the area and also conducted an hours-long canvass of the neighborhood assuring residents and searching for any additional relevant information.
“Without jeopardizing the integrity of the investigation, WPD is willing to reveal that there are indications that this was an isolated incident perpetrated by non-Woodstock citizens,” Lieb said.
“Understandably, some Woodstock citizens are concerned about the current safety of our community; crimes like this are a rarity in such a safe community as Woodstock. What can be assured is that WPD Officers are continuously available for anyone who believes they are in danger or if they believe that a crime is being, or about to be, committed,” Lieb added.
Woodstock police are conducting a multi-jurisdictional investigation and collaborating with investigators in and around the Rockford area.
Woodstock Mayor Mike Turner called the shooting “a very disturbing incident.”
“The Woodstock Police Department is actively working this case to learn more about the situation and to apprehend the perpetrators while working as they always do to protect the public,” Turner said.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to call the Woodstock Police Department Investigation Division at 815-338-2131.