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3 people shot, killed at Wisconsin auto race event

Victims shot at close range
Posted at 6:05 AM, Aug 14, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-14 06:05:33-04

Three people were killed in shootings at the Great Lakes Dragaway in Kenosha County, Wisconsin on Sunday evening. 

According to Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth, a suspect is still at large. 

The victims are believed to be from Aurora, Ill.

The shooting happened at around 7 p.m. at the track during an event called Larry's Fun Fest. An estimated 5,000 people were at the facility when the shooting occurred. 

Beth said the victims were standing near the concessions stand when the shooter approached and shot them at very close range. Investigators are talking to friends of the victims to try and piece together what happened. 

"There's no positive ID on the suspect right now, we don't know the motive, we're not aware of any altercations that happened earlier, at this point the detectives I've talked to are not aware of what caused this," Beth said.

Beth told Milwaukee-based TMJ4 that the shootings were believe to be the result of rival gangs from Milwaukee and Chicago coming to a head, and that they have caused problems at the Union Grove facility in the past. 

"We're not aware of any danger to the community. We believe that whoever did this is either still on here on site, or more likely left the Great Lakes Drag Strip," Beth said. 

Wisconsin State Patrol confirms it is assisting with road closures in the area. 

The Great Lakes Dragaway is a quarter-mile dragstrip located in Paris, Wisconsin.