Man shot outside terminal at O’Hare International Airport overnight, Chicago police confirm

CHICAGO — A 25-year-old man was shot outside Terminal 2 at O’Hare International Airport overnight, witnesses and police have confirmed.

Witnesses tell WGN News the shooting happened close to 1 a.m. Wednesday near the baggage claim outside Terminal 2. Authorities at O’Hare then confirmed that a person was shot there.

Lower level access to the Terminal 2 arrivals area was closed early Wednesday morning as police investigated the shooting, but all lanes have since been reopened.

Police say the incident started with multiple people fighting outside the terminal, then someone got a gun and opened fire. A 25-year-old man was hit twice in the leg, according to police, and taken to an area hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

James Van Schaick was staying at a hotel at O’Hare and heard the shooting. He told WGN he’s a retired police officer, though he declined to say from which department.

“It must’ve been about quarter-to-one, I heard what sounded like just rapid-fire, like automatic fire,” Van Schaick said. “I looked out my window … and I saw people scattering in both directions. And then I heard a bunch of single shots.”

Some people inside the terminal, however, said they didn’t even know what was happening until they saw police.

“These Dollar Tree earplugs work really well, because I have no clue how I did not hear this,” one woman told WGN. “When I woke up and saw all the cops, I was terrified.

“… I’m honestly just really grateful to be alive right now.”

Police say a second individual is being interviewed by detectives, and the investigation remains ongoing.