Cook County, Illinois

From the Chicago Tribune of March 20, 2007

2 wounded in suburban home invasion

Cook County sheriff's police evidence technicians and investigators were on the scene today of a shooting and apparent home invasion near Richton Park in which one of the residents was shot in the foot.

The incident began shortly before 11 p.m. Monday when a masked gunman forced his way into the house in the 6500 block of Sauk Trail Road in unincorporated Rich Township and began shooting, said sheriff's spokeswoman Penny Mateck.

Inside the house were an infant and three adults, including a 22-year-old woman who sustained the gunshot wound in her foot, Mateck said.

One of the other adults in the house had a weapon and returned the gunman's fire, Mateck said. In the exchange, a bullet exited the house and grazed the driver of a vehicle that was passing by, she said.

Neither the driver nor the woman was seriously hurt, Mateck said. The woman, who had left the house sometime after the shooting occurred, either was taken or went on her own to St. James Hospital and Health Care Centers in Chicago Heights where she was reported in good condition, Mateck said. Whether the driver who was grazed by a bullet required treatment was not immediately known, Mateck said.

When sheriff's police arrived at the house they attempted to make contact with the occupants and or the masked gunman but received no response, Mateck said. Not knowing whether the gunman or any of the occupants were still inside the home, police called in the sheriff's SWAT team shortly after 1 a.m. today, she said. At 6 a.m., SWAT team members entered the house and determined it was empty, Mateck said.

Sheriff's police found the original occupants of the house at another location but as of this afternoon were still looking for the masked gunman and attempting to determine a motive for the home invasion, Mateck said.