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Authorities: 18-year-old from Chicago suburb was the person killed in ISU homecoming weekend shooting

Yellow police tape outside an apartment building
Eric Stock
/
WGLT
Police at the scene of a shooting Sunday morning, Sept. 29, 2024, near University and Locust streets in Normal.

An 18-year-old from a Chicago suburb has been identified as the person who died in a shooting at Illinois State University following what police called a large "pop-up party" early Sunday.

McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder said Randall Glass, of Oak Lawn, died from multiple gunshot wounds.

Glass was one of two 18-year-old males who were shot around 3:30 a.m. Sunday; the second 18-year-old remains hospitalized in critical condition and was not identified in a news release Monday morning. Neither were affiliated with Illinois State University, the university police department said Sunday.

Illinois State Police have joined an investigation into the shooting that includes the Normal Police Department and the McLean County coroner's office.

Normal Police said the death is being investigated as a homicide. Officer Brad Park said Monday the department has learned what weapon was used in the shooting, but will not disclose it. He added the department has not recovered the weapon.

ISU Police on Sunday said the shooting stemmed from a “‘pop-up party’ of over 1,000 people, not organized or sanctioned by the University, started in a park and moved to a gas station.” The shooting happened near the intersection of University and Locust streets in Normal. That’s near both ISU’s Bone Student Center and Hancock Stadium, where ISU played its homecoming football game hours earlier.

Police said they were breaking up the large party at the nearby Circle K gas station when the shots rang out.

"These gatherings should not be occurring, and if officers do show up and we ask the groups to disperse to get a little more cooperation," Park said.

Sunday's pop-up party was not an isolated incident over the weekend: Normal Police said officers responded to a report of gunshots around 2:44 a.m. on Saturday that followed a similar large gathering. No injuries were reported in that incident, NPD said, but several shell casings were collected from the scene.

Park said it's not clear who organized the party, but he said several of the recent gatherings have been organized by out-of-town promoters.

"It's nothing new that is taking place. It's just newer here in the Bloomington-Normal area," Park said.

Anyone with information about Sunday's shooting is asked to contact Normal Police at 309-454-9535. Tips may also be made anonymously by texting 847411, typing in NORMALPD, and then the tip.

Lyndsay Jones was a reporter at WGLT. She left the station in 2025.
Eric Stock is the News Director at WGLT. You can contact Eric at ejstoc1@ilstu.edu.