Lockdown lifted after shootout at NEIU campus parking lot
CHICAGO - Northeastern Illinois University went on lockdown for several hours Wednesday after police witnessed a shootout in a campus parking lot. No injuries were reported.
Chicago police officers patrolling parking lot L on the southwest corner of campus heard gunfire about 9:35 a.m., according to Chicago police spokeswoman Sally Bown.
Suspects in two cars drove off, pursued by the officers, toward Foster Avenue, Bown said. During the chase, one car made a U-turn and drove past officers while the other car escaped onto Foster, she said. No one was in custody.
Officers recovered a weapon and drugs in the parking lot, Bown said.
The campus, in the 5400 block of North Saint Louis, was locked down as a precautionary measure, Bown said.
In an email to staff and students, University President Gloria J. Gibson said the lockdown was lifted shortly before 3 p.m. after officers determined the shooters were no longer on campus.
"Please know that no shots were fired by CPD or NEIUPD on our campus," Gibson wrote. "A weapon was recovered in one of the parking lots; however, the suspects were not apprehended. They have no known affiliation to Northeastern Illinois University."
A child care center is located near the parking lot where the shooting occurred.
A campus spokesperson did not return a request for comment.