A birthday bash turned into a nightmare at an Oakbrook Terrace hotel when a man was fatally shot Saturday night, with one "person of interest" now in custody, police say. The chaos unfolded at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Suites hotel, located at 10 Drury Lane, around 8:30 p.m., according to the Chicago Tribune. Guests were left in horror and confusion as the hotel went into lockdown mode after the gunshots rang out.
A celebratory mood was chillingly cut short on Deanna Raczkiewycz's 18th birthday. Her mother, Tamara Raczkiewycz, recounted the terrifying ordeal to ABC7 Chicago, "I see that it's out towards the balcony. I go look. I see shots. I hear yelling. I see people running. First thing I do is run back towards their room and tell them lock the door. 'Do not open the door till it's me.'" Amidst the pandemonium, guests allege that hotel management remained silent, leaving those inside in a state of paralyzing uncertainty.
The victim of the tragic shooting has been identified by DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen as 33-year-old Calvin Truitt, whose home address remains unknown. Following an "extensive search" within the hotel premises, Oakbrook Terrace police apprehended a person of interest, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. No criminal charges have been announced as the investigation is ongoing.
While the police effort was resolved with a suspect detained, the guests' anxiety was exacerbated by a noticeable communication breakdown. Tamara, herself a Chicago public school teacher, expressed her frustration to ABC7 Chicago, "I asked them why we got no notification. They told me the police told them not to say anything to the guests. I'm a Chicago public school teacher. It upsets me even more that there was nothing in place here because as a teacher, I have protocols in place." The hotel's lockdown was eventually lifted early Sunday, but the property has yet to respond to requests for comment on the incident.
The community is now grappling with the fallout of the violence that ruptured the safety of a suburban hotel, as police assure the public that the shooting was an "isolated incident" with no further threat to the community. Details on the circumstances leading to the shooting and the identity of the person in custody have not yet been released by authorities.
