A father of two with another child on the way was tragically shot and killed during an altercation that erupted over a slice of pizza outside a suburban bar, law enforcement officials say.
The deadly encounter took place at Rosie O'Reilly's Irish Pub & Grub in unincorporated Wheaton where a seemingly innocuous offer of leftover pizza devolved into a fatal dispute, bar owner John Dwyer recounted the events leading up to the shooting, sharing with CBS the moment when camaraderie turned to chaos "One minute they're hugging, the next minute they're arguing," he said, illustrating the volatile unpredictability that marked the incident.
Police were called to the scene at 131 N. Gary Avenue at 8:45 a.m. following reports of gunfire, confirmed by the DuPage County and Wheaton police who later stated the violence stemmed from a workplace altercation according to the Chicago Tribune, not long after the establishment opened for the day.
DuPage County Sheriff’s office is spearheading the investigation into the incident, which led to a temporary "secure and teach" lockdown at nearby Wheaton North High School, as the authorities tackled the situation and ensured area residents a containment of any threat to their safety outside the now-closed premises along Gary Avenue, where police had cordoned off the segment between Harrison Avenue and Prairie Avenue.
The sudden outbreak and its brutal culmination, taking place in the otherwise calm pre-Christmas period has left the local community and the victim's acquaintances reeling, as expressed by pub general manager Theresa Dwyer who, in a tearful interview with CBS, lamented the senseless loss, "The kids, and life – I don't care what's going on. Life is life," while reflecting on the regular patron who had frequented Rosie O'Reilly's for about two years and was well-known "Just a nice guy. He'd come in, he'd sit with people. Sometimes there was a little teasing back and forth and stuff, but life is life. It doesn't matter what you are," Theresa Dwyer said.
The detention of three men, including the alleged shooter, was confirmed by police late Friday, though authorities have yet to release the identity of the deceased.
