Man shot during fight at O'Hare Airport, 'I heard a bunch of rapid fire.'

Workers and travelers described hearing 'rapid fire,' seeing a violent brawl and 'people scattering' early Wednesday when a shooting erupted outside O'Hare International Airport.

Several people began arguing around 12:55 a.m. in the airport when it spilled onto the street outside Terminal 2 and a 25-year-old man was shot twice in the lower body, Chicago police said.

He was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge where his condition was stabilized, police said.

Over police radio, dispatchers relayed information to responding Jefferson Park District police officers, who asked where exactly it happened.

“2A,” a dispatcher said. “Downstairs in arrivals.”

James Van Schaick was in a hotel “right across the way” when he heard a “half dozen to a dozen shots.”

“I heard a bunch of rapid fire and I opened up my curtain and I looked and I saw people scattering,” Van Schaick told an Network Video Productions reporter at the scene. “I didn’t see [officers] chasing after anybody.”

Van Schaick, who worked in public safety, said he’s never seen something like this unfold at a public airport.

“I would say it’s unusual,” Van Schaick said. “I’ve never seen it like this before.”

A bullet from the gunfire shattered a large window several feet from Raquel Barajas, who was inside the airport trying to get some rest.

“That’s terrifying,” Barajas said as she examined the shattered glass.

“These Dollar Tree earplugs work really well because I have no clue how I did not hear this,” Barajas said. “When I woke up and seen all the cops, I was terrified.”

Barajas emphasized that the earplugs “might’ve saved her life.”

“Getting up would’ve made me more scared and put me in a worse scenario,” Barajas said. “I’m honestly just really grateful to be alive right now.”

Mahmoud, a worker at O’Hare, saw the violent situation developing in front of him.

“They start fighting, regular fighting, after that they [go] in the car, they bring the gun and then start shooting,” Mahmoud said. “After that, I hit the ground.”

Several rifle rounds were recovered at the scene, according to a law enforcement source.

As of 5:15 a.m., all lower-level arrival lanes at all terminals at O’Hare were fully open following earlier police activity, the Chicago Department of Aviation said in a statement.

An individual was being interviewed as Area 5 detectives continue to investigate.