close
close

Shootings in the WIU area cause confusion in Bloomington-Normal


Shootings in the WIU area cause confusion in Bloomington-Normal

Western Illinois University is closed Thursday after two police officers were shot and injured while executing an arrest warrant near campus Wednesday evening.

The incident occurred near WIU and at a residence on North Normal Street in Macomb. Police in Bloomington and at Illinois State University said they received reports of an active shooter at Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) and ISU, but there was no active threat.

“We ask our community to critically review the information shared with them, ask questions before sharing, and provide firsthand reports to 911 or ISU Police so we can respond quickly and protect our campus community,” the ISU Police Department said.

Bloomington police said they responded to reports of an active shooter by the IWU on Wednesday evening and found neither an active attacker nor a credible threat.

“We take all reports seriously and responding to these incidents is a priority when the safety and well-being of our community members is threatened,” BPD said on Facebook. “It is important to recognize that misinformation and social media shared without context can cause serious harm to our community. We ask our community members to critically evaluate the information shared with them, ask questions before sharing, and provide firsthand accounts to law enforcement so we can respond quickly.”

The suspect is believed to still be at a residence in Macomb, Tri States Public Radio reports. The officers were taken to local hospitals for treatment and then transferred to a secondary facility. Macomb Police Chief Jeff Hamer said the officers are in “good spirits” and are expected to recover.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *