Mass Shooting Averted After Hotel Worker Alerts Authorities Of Man With Rifle, Ammo In His Room

Several lives have been saved after a possible mass shooting was averted during the Fourth of July weekend when Gold Coast hotel staff approached authorities to report a guest that was armed with a rifle with a scope and laser sight, police announced on Tuesday.

The suspect, Keegan Casteel, 32, of Ankeny, Iowa, has been arrested and slapped with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, CBS reported.

Around 5:45 p.m on Sunday, a housekeeper at the W Chicago Lakeshore hotel discovered a semi-automatic .308-caliber rifle with a high-powered scope and laser sight attachment inside a room on the 12th floor.

The room at 644 N. Lake Shore Drive on the Gold Coast was overlooking Ohio Street Beach. Beachgoers flocked to the popular tourist location for the Fourth of July.

A handgun, along with several magazines of ammunition, were also retrieved on the window sill of Room 1208. Police say the weapons were left “in a very suspicious position,” Fox News noted.

Prosecutors said Casteel admitted owning the confiscated guns. While Casteel is licensed to possess guns in Iowa, he does not own a Firearm Owners Identification Card, which is a requirement to legally hold a gun in Illinois.

Officers with the CPD Joint Terrorism Task Force took Casteel and a companion into custody for questioning, later hitting him with weapons charges. The suspect does not have any previous criminal record. It remains unknown what he was planning to do with the weapons.

However, police noted that the incident was “obviously very concerning, considering the position of the W Hotel to Navy Pier.”

“This was unique that we’re still within COVID restrictions somewhat and this employee saw something by entering the room to clean it that likely prevented a tragedy from happening,” CPD Superintendent David Brown said.

“So it was significant and very valuable and we ought to keep a lot of praise on that employee for letting us know so we could act quickly and potentially avoid a tragedy. Thank God for that hotel worker, who saw something, and said something, and I believe averted disaster,” he added.

A Cook County judge set Casteel’s bond at $10,000 D on Tuesday, which means he must post $1,000 to get out and allow him to live in Iowa while the case is pending, according to News Channel 20. His firearms were surrendered to Chicago police.