One man is in custody Thursday afternoon, in connection with a fatal shooting at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Tinley Park, according to reports.
The shooting happened between two men who got into an argument around 3:05 p.m., in the parking lot of the convenience store at 16658 S. Oak Park Avenue in Tinley Park, said Village of Tinley Park spokesman Jason Freeman.
Thomas P. Mastro, 24, of Tinley Park, died from a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
Tinley Park police still have a suspect in custody, but charges have not been filed, police said. The department is working with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in the continuing investigation, police added.
The suspect fled the scene in his vehicle northbound on Oak Park Avenue and was followed by an off-duty Tinley Park police officer, who was first on the scene, a village press release stated.
After a 45-minute manhunt, he was captured by police at around 147th Street and Central Avenue in Oak Forest. Tinley Park and Oak Forest police also were assisted by officers from Orland Park police and a helicopter from Chicago/Cook County Police Department, the release stated. Cook County Forest Preserve and Palos Park police also were on the scene.
A handgun connected to the shooting was found Thursday north of 159th Street on Oak Park Avenue handgun, Tinley Park police said.
Residents in a mile radius of the shooting were sent a village alert about the incident, but because the shooter had fled so quickly, there was no immediate danger to residents, the release stated. Community Consolidated School District 146 in Tinley Park did not go into lockdown, because it was not notified of the incident by the time of dismissal at 3:35 p.m.
The manhunt had some streets blocked off and slowed down traffic in the area. At one point, Oak Park Avenue between 143rd and 151st Street was blocked off, as well as 143rd Street east of Harlem Avenue.
Tinley Park police confirmed late Thursday that it is being investigated as a homicide. The victim was pronounced dead at Palos Community Hospital.
—Patch Editors Joe Vince, Nick Swedberg and Ben Feldheim contributed to this story.
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my family moved from Garfield Ridge, a Midway Airport neighborhood to Orland Park in 1972. Our Old neighborhood was CHANGING. What THAT means is the people who lived in the LeClaire Court Projects were moving South of 47th Street. My parents not wanting to lose money due to DeValuation..put their house up for sale. We move to OP. They cannot sell the old house due to recession and word is out 'the neighborhood is changing' That does not mean the yuppies were moving in. They lost over $250K on the sale of our old house. They made up for it in Orland. But is it happening all over again? We shall see. Chicago & all its neighborhoods have always been very profiled and segregated...way of life here. If you want to live where that kind of problem is not in your own back yard? Move to St. Louis. I hear its very different there.
Cant judge a book by its cover. We have alot of diffrent color of people, In my area. We dont not have the drama of hatred beacuse they are diffrent race.