The Villa Park Police Department, with the assistance of the Chicago Police Department, took a suspect into custody early Sunday morning following a shooting at the Safari Land indoor amusement center in Villa Park Saturday night.
According to the Daily Herald, Meco M. Morris, 25, of Chicago, was charged with aggravated battery/discharge of a firearm and reckless discharge of a firearm after he allegedly shot a man shortly before 7 p.m. on Saturday at Safari Land, located at 701 W. North Ave.
The victim was allegedly shot three times and treated at a local hospital. The injuries were described as not life-threatening, according to a statement released by the Villa Park Police Department on Facebook.
The shooting appeared to be an isolated incident, the statement said.
Following the shooting, police said the suspect—described as a black male, wearing a black jacket with white writing, blue jeans and a black baseball cap—was reportedly seen running into a residential area just south of Safari Land, near Lincoln Avenue and Roy Drive. An additional alert issued by police noted that there had been a possible sighting of the subject running eastbound on Plymouth Street near Yale Avenue. That location is about one mile southeast of Safari Land.
The suspect was reportedly taken into custody at around 3 a.m. Sunday in Chicago at an apartment complex in Logan Square.
Safari Land, which has eight indoor attractions, 12 bowling lanes and more than 100 arcade games, was closed on Sunday. It released the following statement on Sunday:
“Safari Land wishes to extend its heartfelt sympathy to all who were impacted by last night’s [referring to Saturday night] senseless violence at our facility. While this was an isolated and targeted incident between two individuals who knew each other, it is still inconceivable that someone could commit such an act at Safari Land.
“We wish to extend our thanks and appreciation to our staff who handled themselves as professionally as possible under stressful conditions as well as the Villa Park Police Department, [the] DuPage County States Attorney’s Office and all the law enforcement agencies that brought this incident to a successful resolution with the arrest of the offender as quickly as possible.
“Safari Land continues to work with law enforcement and is committed to ensuring and providing a safe environment for all our customers.”
Police said the incident remains under investigation.
