CHICAGO — Police may have omitted a key fact in statements following a shooting that killed five women at a Tinley Park clothing store. There was a sixth woman shot, and she survived, according to anonymous sources.
The woman, a store employee, suffered a graze wound to the neck and was left for dead but made a 911 call during the attack, the sources said. She was later able to provide police with a description that could lead to a sketch of the suspect, the sources said.
A spokeswoman for St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields confirmed that a victim from the shooting had been brought there, The New York Times reported. A police source later confirmed that report to The Times and said the woman had been released from the hospital.
Police released the names Sunday of the five women killed but remained tight- lipped about the details of a “robbery gone bad.” They did not officially confirm that there was a sixth victim.
They said they were pressing their search for a black man about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 260 pounds, dressed in black clothing.
Eric Woolfolk, who identified the body of his sister, Connie R. Woolfolk, said she was shot in the head. She had bruises, and her hands had been tied behind her back.
“He might have tortured her,” he said. “He couldn’t possibly have thought that (store) would be a good place to rob. This person is obviously a sick person.”
Eric Woolfolk said authorities told him the gunman had made off with about $200 in cash and some valuables.
At a news conference, Tinley Park Police Chief Michael O’Connell identified the victims as Woolfolk, 37, of Flossmoor; Jennifer L. Bishop, 34, of South Bend, Ind.; Rhoda McFarland, 42, of Joliet; Sarah Szafranski, 22, of Oak Forest; and Carrie Hudek Chiuso, 33, of Frankfort.
“This incident appears to stem from an armed-robbery attempt, which was interrupted, which led to the five murders,” he said.
Police have said the gunman led the five women into the back room of the store, killed them, then walked out the front door.
The store was not equipped with security video, police said, and investigators scrambled to find people who fit the gunman’s description. Police would not say whether they had any physical evidence to identify the gunman.
A Harvey man was questioned Saturday after police saw him sitting in his car in a Super Target parking lot. Sean Tyus said police took him to a nearby police station, where they examined the soles of his shoes and questioned him for an hour.
They questioned him about whether he had removed beads from his braided hair, he said Sunday. They also repeatedly asked, “Where is the gun?”
Tyus said he told investigators that the police were already swarming the parking lot when he and his girlfriend arrived at the shopping center. He was released.
Outside the Lane Bryant store Sunday afternoon, friends of the victims gathered, some to pray, others contributing to a growing memorial. Bouquets of flowers were placed next to yellow police tape, which draped in front of the store.
