Off-duty officer fatally shoots alleged gunman who opened fire at family reunion in South Holland

An off-duty Palos Hills police officer shot and killed a man who allegedly opened fire during a family reunion Saturday evening at a South Holland park.

The officer, who was attending the gathering at Maicach Park in the south suburb, began shooting after seeing the alleged gunman fire multiple shots following an earlier domestic dispute at the party, a spokeswoman for the village said.

The dispute occurred between the alleged gunman and his current and former girlfriends at the park, the spokeswoman said. The man and his current girlfriend left, but allegedly returned later.

The alleged gunman was the only person shot and was taken to a hospital for treatment, where he later died, South Holland Police Chief Shawn Staples said.

There were “about 50 people gathered for a family reunion,” said Andriana Foster, who was at the park with her children when the shooting happened.

“We all got purple T-shirts on and they’re fighting each other,” she said.

Foster said she heard at least 10 “rapid-fire” shots.

“By the time I heard [gunshots] I was near the field and I started running,” she added. “I was running toward my kids to try to get them to safety.”

A woman who identified herself as Katie-Marie and said she had lived in South Holland for 26 years, was pumping gas nearby when she heard the gunfire “clear as day.”

“Once upon a time, it was very rare that you would hear about a shooting in this area,” she said.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times