Residents in a swath of Oswego, Illinois were told to stay inside their homes Friday morning as police conducted a welfare check on the 500 block of Colchester Drive after a gun was fired from inside the home. The shelter-in-place request covers a quarter-mile radius around the block. The person who fired the shot was believed to be the only person inside.
Heavy Police Presence Reported on Colchester Drive
According to CBS News Chicago, the Oswego Police Department reported a heavy police presence specifically in the 500 block of Colchester Drive, and officials asked anyone living within a quarter-mile radius of that block to stay inside. Officers were conducting a welfare check when a gun was fired inside the home. The person who fired the shot was believed to be the only person inside.
The scope of the shelter-in-place order, spanning a quarter mile from the block in question, suggests officials wanted to clear a buffer around the scene while the situation was being assessed. It remains unclear how long the request would stay in effect, and the same report does not say whether the situation has since been resolved.
School Bus Routes Could Be Affected
Families may also be watching for possible bus-route changes connected to the police activity.
Shelter-in-place requests have also occurred elsewhere around the Chicago area in recent years, when police activity prompted similar requests for residents, schools, or businesses to stay put while investigations played out, including a Skokie order prompted by a report of an armed man covered in a Patch roundup. In February 2024, Dolton police similarly asked residents in part of that community to shelter in place while officers searched for a homicide suspect, according to NBC Chicago.
For now, Oswego residents within the quarter-mile radius are being asked to remain patient and stay indoors as police work through the investigation. CBS News Chicago has said it will provide continued updates as the situation develops, and Hoodline will share new details as they become available.
