Downtown Lake Forest Shooting: 2 Dead, ‘Unusual Scene’

LAKE FOREST, IL — A woman was fatally shot in downtown Lake Forest early Wednesday morning behind a doughnut shop in an apparent murder-suicide connected to what city officials described as a "domestic dispute." At about 6:20 a.m., police got a report that someone heard gunfire in a parking lot behind the Dunkin' Donuts at 620 North Western Avenue, according to a news release from the city.

When they arrived, officers found a 27-year-old woman who had been shot multiple times and also located a dead man in the lot. Investigators have not confirmed if the man was shot.

Paramedics with the Lake Forest Fire Department transported the woman to a Lake Forest Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

A preliminary investigation suggests the shooting may have been connected to a domestic dispute between the man and woman, according to the release.

Neither identity has been released, pending notification of their families.

Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper confirmed the woman had been shot multiple times. He said her autopsy was completed and the man's is scheduled for Thursday. He could not confirm if the deceased man had also been shot.

"It was an unusual scene," Cooper said. "I need to do the autopsy to figure out what happened."

Deputy Chief Rob Copeland said no conclusion of murder-suicide has yet been made, but he added that there were no shooters at large.

However, he declined to say if a firearm was found at the scene or if the dead man had a visible gunshot wound.

A spokesperson for the Lake County major crimes task force referred all questions to Lake Forest police.

Western Avenue was reopened between Illinois and Deerpath roads after task force investigators operated out of the Dunkin' Donuts. Staff at the store did not return calls.

The parking lot of the neighboring Northern Trust bank was also closed but the bank remained open.

Several evidence markers were visible in the parking lot beside the Dunkin' Donuts as police launched a drone to survey the area.

Some employees at nearby businesses said they heard shooting at about 6:15 a.m. as they prepared to come to start work. However, an office next door was unoccupied at the time and staff at a coffee shop up the street were already indoors and heard no gunfire.

After police notified them of the incident Wednesday morning, Lake Forest High School officials said the school would operate normally and that there was no suspected danger to the community.

The dead woman was an Navy service member on active duty who worked at the Lovell Federal Health Center in North Chicago. The Department of Defense confirmed the woman was a member of the military and said more information would be released a day after her family was notified.

_{Approximate location of the reported shooting (Google Maps)}

» Update: Victim, Murderer Identified In Lake Forest Shooting

_{Photos: Investigators with the Lake County major crimes task force on scene at the site of where a woman and a man were found dead in Lake Forest, Jan. 3, 2018 | Jonah Meadows}