Photo Credit: Lake and McHenry County Scanner.com
On December 14, 2025, a man entered the world’s longest shopping center, Gurnee Mills, in Gurnee, IL (1.8 miles end to end) carrying what appeared to be an AR-style rifle. According to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, the suspect parked his car at the far end of the mall before walking inside with the weapon clearly displayed. It was purportedly an AR style rifle in plain view. No case covering. No attempt to sneak it in. He just walked in with it pointed in the air. He was later identified as a purportedly homeless naturalized citizen.
At one point while armed the rifle inside the mall, he confronted a shopper, who raised his hands before fleeing for safety. The suspect then entered Bass Pro Shops, the Malls’ largest outdoor, camping, firearms and archery supply store where an employee called 911 about man with a gun. News stories say the suspect was inside the mall with the “weapon” for about ten minutes. Remember kids, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away!
Turns out, the rifle was an airsoft-style gun with an orange tip. Despite its replica status, the weapon’s resemblance to a real firearm created panic among mallgoers. Well, what would you do? Holy smoke, this mutt wandered around unchallenged for 10 minutes in a crowded mall at Christmas time!
Yee Gads and Jumping Catfish! What if he wasn’t just nuts, but also had a real rifle? It all must have made sense to him in some way in his warped brain, but like so many other crazy people I don’t see what he wanted out of this except attention… or maybe getting shot.
Reading the news stories (and also recognizing what is not printed) via the Lake and McHenry County Scanner, it looks like he may also have walked away from the mall unscathed with his rifle as well.
He did get some well-deserved attention later in the day, when police took this a bit further. They somehow arrived at his “home” where he was temporarily staying some miles away, since they had to make the long drive anyway, they took the time and attention to go ahead and seize both the replica rifle and a real no kidding 9mm pistol. Brainiac of course has no FOID card allowing him to possess the pistol or ammunition.
Charges as they say, have been filed by the Lake County State’s Attorneys Office.
How did they know where to find the suspect and his replica rifle? Turns out, the previous day, he parked his car next to the Portillos Restaurant in the Gurnee Mills parking lot, then a few minutes later called the Gurnee police for assistance locating his vehicle. They reunited the subject with his vehicle and were puzzled how he could have lost it in only a few minutes parked next to a very well-known restaurant. Am guessing here the police still had that on the tip of their tongues 24 hrs later when shown pictures of the miscreant.
What can we learn from this incident?
1. This crazy stuff never happens here. Turns out, I walked into that same area of Gurnee Mills Mall about 20 hours after the fact. I had no idea of the incident which occurred the previous day. Crazy stuff happens everywhere. Mall owners did not have a greeter to tell you they had crazy shit going down there on Friday! I was, however well prepared and ramped up walking in knowing it was going to be full of people at holiday time and stayed in Condition Orange the whole time I was there. I have seen other holiday headlines from this and other shopping meccas where crimes have occurred when we are all supposed to be making Merry.
2. Remember where you parked!
3. “Christmas is Chaos.” You may quote me on that. Doesn’t matter if you are one of the “Haves” or the “Have not”, it is the most stressful time of year. Christmas shopping at malls concentrates the amount of people who are under stress into one well-lit space… with plenty of caffeine kiosks to keep attendees amped up.
4. Lots of young people gather and cavort in the Malls this time of year while rubbing each other the wrong way. Happens every year. Fights occur. Sometimes they bring guns. In crowded malls and holiday stores, keep your head on a swivel and listen to the sounds around you. Frequently in a business like this you will hear sounds of increased volume before you see a problem. If you see wild gestures or exaggerated behaviors tag it as potential problem, even if it is just angry kids or shoppers. Mall property is of course private property, and they may not welcome Concealed Carriers. Be mindful for any of those pesky “No Beretta” in a red slashed circle signs on doors.
5. Think of parking lots as potential danger areas too, not just inside the mall. Most conflicts and violent thefts occur in the parking lot. Car thefts can be quite brazen even in daylight even while venerable Mall Security trucks circle the lot.
6. You probably won’t have time to figure out crazy when you see it. Most of us will just stand and stare at crazy people or events like a guy in the mall with a rifle- while trying to understand what is really going on. We may be trying to make sense of it or hope to film something you can sell to WGN TV later. No one could know what a guy with a rifle was doing there, or that he had been by the day before. Was he scooping the scene and police response for an active shooter scenario? After that, Police found a social media picture of him wearing a bullet resistant vest and holding a rifle. Hmm.
Pro Tip: You are probably way behind the power curve when you are looking at crazy and may never figure out what is happening in the scant seconds when things can go bad. Just admit to yourself this event or person is just not right for you and get yourself gone. Get off the target. If this dufus had started shooting inside that crowded mall instead of just pointing at the ceiling, then it is an active shooter situation. Remember Run, Hide, Fight? Get yourself and your family members away and call the police. Be a good witness second, get out of there first. The bad actor is in their own TV show now- don’t be a guest star.
7. Malls are long linear hallways which limit shoppers to the straight-line floor plan. As a target zone it compresses people. One sniper said running away or towards a gun still presents the same juicy profile. In case of emergency, break out of the ordinary. You don’t have to leave via the traditional well-marked exits to Lot A, which may be far away. People forget that any shopper can exit almost immediately by going in the nearest store and head to the back of the store. This diagonal movement gets you out of the hallway, builds distance and hopefully some concealment. Eyes up, and you will see the store’s back door clearly marked by a thoughtful Fire Marshal mandated EXIT sign- all lit up in red. Use it. People don’t think of it as a permissible exit. Don’t look for permission. Don’t argue. It is an emergency. It is much quicker to get out of the store that way than being funneled down the long mall with everyone else trying to get to a main exit. The area behind the stores are usually empty hallways that lead to outer doors with nearly no active shooters in them!
The Gurnee Mills incident is not isolated. Across the United States, replica firearms have repeatedly caused confusion, panic, and even fatal encounters. In some cases, individuals carrying airsoft or BB guns have been shot by police who believed the weapons were real.
Ultimately, the Gurnee Mills incident serves as a stark reminder of the fine line between perception and reality in matters of public safety. Replica firearms may be marketed as toys or sporting equipment, but in the wrong hands and settings, they can provoke chaos indistinguishable from a genuine threat.
Now go be merry and remember what we learned in about Christmas conduct during that old Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer show- Yukon Cornelius was always packing a pistol, straight knife and hatchet in front of his hips and in easy reach at all times!
Photo Credit: rockislandauction.com