Overview

• A business owner received an alert about an armed individual at Westfield Old Orchard Mall around 2:50 p.m. Tuesday
• Skokie Police deployed at least eight squad cars to secure entrances outside Macy’s and Nordstrom within minutes of the report
• Unverified social media posts fueled shoppers’ fears of an active shooter and led to a precautionary lockdown of the mall
• After a brief investigation, police confirmed no shots were fired and determined the gun alert was not credible
• Authorities lifted the lockdown by early evening and full mall operations resumed following the Village of Skokie all-clear