5 shot, 1 killed at Rockford gas station

ROCKFORD, Ill. - Five people were shot, one of them fatally, Wednesday at a gas station in Rockford.

The shooting happened about 7:10 p.m. in the parking lot of the Citgo Way Low gas station, 2914 W. State Rd., according to Rockford Chief of Police Dan O’Shea.

One person was killed and four others were hospitalized, O’Shea said. One of the wounded was in critical condition, while the other three suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

Investigators believe the shooting was targeted, though it was not clear who the shooter was aiming for, O’Shea said.

The shooting is the latest in a string of violent incidents to befall Rockford recently.

“The violent crime that’s happened in the last couple weeks — with a couple murders, multiple people being shot — its very disheartening because we were doing so well for the last three years, four years, going downwards, and now we’re starting to trend back up on the violent crime,” O’Shea said. “We need the public’s help, people know who’s doing the shootings.”