A Lake County sheriff’s canine is being credited for locating a fully automatic gun that was dumped after a 29-year-old man was shot multiple times in Zion Tuesday.
The Zion Police Department responded around 1:06 p.m. Tuesday to the area of Kenosha Road and Highlands Drive for a report of shots fired.
Zion Police Department Lt. Derek Zaloudek said officers were alerted to the shooting by both gunfire detection technology and 911 callers.
Officers arrived and found a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee with multiple bullet holes that had crashed near a retaining wall off Kenosha Road.
Officers located a 29-year-old Park City man a short distance away on Freedom Court, Zaloudek said.
He was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and officers administered medical aid.
The Zion Fire-Rescue Department was dispatched and transported the victim to an area hospital. He is expected to survive, Zaloudek said.
Segments of Kenosha Road, Highlands Drive and Freedom Court were closed for hours while officers and investigators collected gunshot evidence and video surveillance from multiple locations.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Canine Zeus and his handler Deputy Kevin Harris were requested to the scene to assist after the offender fled on foot.
Zeus arrived and began tracking from the scene. He tracked to a thick marshy and wooded area.
The canine located a pistol, which was converted into a fully automatic weapon.
Investigators were able to collect the firearm as evidence in the investigation. “Good boy Zeus!” the sheriff’s office said.
The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team provided drone support for area evidence searches, which “proved invaluable to this investigation,” Zaloudek said.
Nearby Zion-Benton Township High School went into “code yellow” as a result of the incident. Students were kept inside the building and the doors were locked to the school.
The Zion Police Department Investigations Division is actively pursuing leads and evaluating evidence.
Zaloudek said evidence suggests this was a targeted attack and that there is no greater threat to the public at large.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Zion Police Department at 847-872-8000.