Six Flags Great America is a park with rides and other fun activities. It is located in Gurnee, Illinois, near Chicago.
The amusement park features 12 themed areas, 15 roller coasters and a 50-acre water park called Hurricane Harbor Chicago.
On Sunday, after reports of a shooting, people were told to leave Six Flags in Gurnee, Illinois.
There was a shooting today at Six Flags Great America
Three people were reportedly shot dead in the Gurnees Six Flags Great America parking lot, prompting a large police presence.
The injuries to the people are not believed to be life-threatening. The park has been cleared as it closes at 8pm
According to WGN News, Laurie Walker and her daughter Grace were in the park at the time of the shooting. Walker said they were queuing for the 7:50 p.m. “ricochet” ride in the southwestern part of the park when she saw frightened people running away.
Laurie, who was at the scene, said someone told everyone to come down and yelled that there was an active shooter. She did what they said because she didn’t know what was going on.
Laurie and Grace climbed two fences to get “out of her husband’s line of sight.” Laurie says that after a short period of hiding, she was able to leave the park.
Was the shooter caught?
Officials are actively searching the Six Flags Great America area, authorities told WGN News, to ensure everyone is safe and healthy.
People were saying on social media that Gurnee amusement park went into lockdown just before it closed at 8pm. In a later tweet, there was video of people exiting the building while dozens of emergency vehicles in the parking lot flashed red and blue lights.
A video circulating on social media shows people in the park huddled together, hiding where they were waiting in line.
Six Flags was about to close when the shooting happened. So far, no one has been found guilty of anything related to the incident.
Police are working flat out to locate the shooters and have asked anyone with knowledge of them to get in touch.
After the mass shooting, people on Twitter are scared. One person wrote: “There is no question that Americans live their lives knowing that a mass shooting could happen at any time.”
What does Six Flags Great America mean and why is it important?
In 2017, more than 3 million people visited Six Flags Great America. This makes it one of the 20 most visited amusement parks in North America.
When Six Flags Over Texas first opened in 1961, there were a lot of people there. The park’s name comes from the fact that it has six themed areas based on the cultures of the six countries whose flags flew over Texas at different times in the state’s history. This makes for a spectacular and magical setting for visitors and has given the park its name.
Great America could mean one of the two American amusement parks that Marriott Corporation opened and operated in 1976.
On May 13, 2021, JB Pritzker, who worked for the park, said the park would be giving away 50,000 tickets worth $4,000,000 to people in Illinois who had just received the COVID-19 vaccination.