Chicago police are actively searching for a gunman after a shooting at Navy Pier on Tuesday afternoon left two people dead.
The incident, which happened around 1:30 p.m., was allegedly carried out by a former employee who had been dismissed from his position on October 14.
Authorities say the gunman, seemingly disgruntled over his termination, returned to Navy Pier—a popular destination filled with tourists at the time—and fatally shot two of his ex-colleagues. According to police, the shooter had inside knowledge of the area, likely due to his prior employment.
Brian Murphy, Chief Operating Officer at Navy Pier, explained, “As a former employee of the subcontractor, he had access and knew how to reach the back loading dock area.” The gunman used this private area, away from public spaces, to carry out the attack, which left both victims dead.
One of the victims has been identified as Lamont Johnson, age 51, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Following the shooting, Navy Pier went into a brief lockdown to ensure public safety.
Diamond Foster, a Navy Pier employee, described the tense moments after the shooting: “We had to lock the entire store down, lock the entire Navy Pier. Everyone was just shutting down.
We had customers come into the back,” she said, underscoring the confusion and fear experienced by workers and visitors alike. The victims were employees of Levy, a hospitality company that operates several businesses at Navy Pier.
In a statement, Levy expressed condolences, saying, “Our hearts break for their families and loved ones, whose lives are forever changed.”
