Unsolved Lane Bryant Massacre Haunts Paramedic 18 Years Later
Eighteen years after a horrific mass shooting at a Lane Bryant clothing store in Tinley Park, Illinois, the case remains unsolved, leaving a paramedic tormented by guilt and a community desperate for answers. On February 2, 2008, a gunman posing as a delivery driver entered the store, herded six women into a backroom, and executed five of them in a brutal attack that lasted approximately 40 minutes.
Paramedic's Haunting Guilt Over Sirens
Kevin Collinge, the first paramedic to arrive on the scene, carries a heavy burden. He was coincidentally responding to a separate emergency at a nearby Target store when the Lane Bryant attack unfolded. Collinge now fears that the blaring sirens from his vehicle may have startled the shooter, potentially triggering the deadly frenzy.
"I know they were listening to my sirens when I was driving into the Target. That means they were in that store and in that situation, and I drove nearly in front of the store," Collinge reveals in a new documentary about the unsolved murders, his words obtained by the Daily Mail. Unbeknownst to him at the time, store manager Rhoda McFarland, 42, had managed to make a whispered 911 call from her cellphone, during which the gunman's voice can be heard shouting, "Don't be a hero, alright?" and "I'm losing it!"
The Victims and a Sole Survivor
The five women killed were:
- Rhoda McFarland, a former minister and store manager who had come in on her day off to help.
- Carrie Chiuso, a customer.
- Connie R. Woolfolk, 37, described as the most "gutsy" victim, who fought back at gunpoint.
- Sarah T. Szafranski, the youngest at 22, a recent college graduate.
- Jennifer L. Bishop, 34, an ICU nurse and mother of three.
A sixth woman survived by playing dead after bullets were aimed at her neck. She provided a description of the assailant: a black man, aged 25 to 35, 5ft 8in to 5ft 10in tall, weighing 200-230lbs, with a receding hairline and thick braided hair featuring four green beads in one braid. The shooter escaped with a few hundred dollars and some jewelry, vanishing just minutes before police arrived.
Documentary Seeks Justice and Answers
Filmmaker Charlie Minn has produced a new documentary, "Who Killed These Women?", aiming to reignite public interest and pressure authorities. Minn criticizes the Tinley Park Police Department's handling of the case, stating, "The lack of transparency and communication is revolting, and it's already made a difficult case even that much harder to crack."
He hopes social media sleuths and fresh perspectives can solve what traditional investigations have not. "We need a fresh set of eyes on this thing. We need something more innovative, something more groundbreaking," Minn asserts. Despite a $100,000 reward offered in 2008 and a suspect sketch still available online, no arrests have been made.
Enduring Mystery and Community Impact
The prolonged nature of the attack—around 40 minutes—adds to the mystery. Phil Valois, the former Tinley Park police commander, noted on the first anniversary that there were numerous theories but no clear motive for such a brazen daytime robbery. The store closed after the shooting, replaced by a TJ Maxx in 2013, but the emotional scars remain.
Family members, like Eric Woolfolk, brother of Connie, have expressed anguish, suggesting the killer may have tortured his sister based on bruising found on her body. The documentary is set for release in Chicago-area theaters on February 13, with an Amazon Prime debut to follow months later, offering a poignant reminder of a tragedy that continues to haunt all involved.
