Multiple police officers involved in shooting outside Hard Rock Rockford Casino

Corina Curry, Rockford Register Star
·2 min read
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Several Rockford police officers and officers from other police agencies responded to the officer-involved shooting Saturday, May 28, 2022, in the parking lot of the Hard Rock Rockford Casino on the city's east side. Police say officers shot a man who pointed a gun at them.

ROCKFORD — Multiple police officers were involved in a shooting Saturday night in the parking lot of the Hard Rock Rockford Casino on the city's east side.

The shooting took place 8:30 p.m. Police said a man pointed a gun at police officers, and the officers shot the man. The man, who was not identified, is in critical condition at a local hospital, police said Saturday night.

During a media briefing about 10:30 p.m. Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana and Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd confirmed that an off-duty sheriff's deputy, who was working at the casino Saturday night, and multiple other police officers fired at the man and shot him.

According to Redd, the Rockford Police Department received a call for assistance at 8:30 p.m. at the casino and multiple officers responded. Redd said the officers "engaged an individual that had a gun that was out in the parking lot at the casino. ... The gun was pointed at the officers, and officers then fired upon the subject."

None of the officers were injured. The investigation has been turned over to the Winnebago Boone County Integrity Task Force.

Police said they were not aware of how many people were in the parking lot at the time of the shooting or how many shots were fired.

More than 20 squad cars from area police agencies were on the scene of the shooting. Yellow caution tape encircled the casino's parking lot.

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The department posted on its Twitter account shortly after 9:30 p.m. that a shooting took place at Bell School Road and Argus Drive. The casino is located at 610 N. Bell School Road.

The Hard Rock Rockford Casino opened in November in the former location of Giovanni's Restaurant & Convention Center.

Rockford Casino is considered a temporary location.

It is expected to operate for about two years while a permanent casino and entertainment complex is built on East State Street near the Interstate 90 entrance at the former location of the Clock Tower Resort.

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Corina Curry: ccurry@rrstar.com; @corinacurry

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Multiple police officers in shooting at Hard Rock Rockford Casino