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Tinley Park man identified as bank security guard killed in Calumet Township robbery attempt; one suspect in custody, police say

A security guard at First Midwest Bank was shot and killed Friday afternoon in what police are investigating as a possible ambush during a robbery attempt at the bank in the 1900 block of West Ridge Road in Calumet Township, according to officials.

One person has been taken into custody, according to officials late Friday afternoon.

According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, two men armed with a handgun and rifle apparently ambushed the security officer outside of the bank, according to a release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.

The security guard was shot and killed outside of the bank, police said. It is believed the suspects then entered the bank and demanded money, according to the release.

The victim was identified late Friday as Richard Castellana, 55. of Tinley Park, Illinois, in a release from the Lake County Coroner’s office.

Lake County Sheriff’s Department officers responded to the call and secured the scene, police said. K-9 units were used to track the last known locations of the two suspects based on witness statements.

“I would like to offer my deepest heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the security officer who was killed,” Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said.

The FBI has taken over the case, he said.

The FBI and Lake County Sheriff’s Department were on the scene, along with representatives from the Gary Police Department, Gary Police Chief Brian Evans said. The bank is in unincorporated Calumet Township and is under the jurisdiction of the sheriff’s department, he said.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Department is leading the investigation Friday afternoon, according to Pamela Jones, public information liaison for the department.

An employee of Accurate Emission Clinic, located next to the bank, said after 3 p.m. that the road was shut down and police officers asked nearby businesses to lock their doors. The employee, who declined to give his name, said he heard from police that a security guard was shot.

He said he heard six to seven shots, with a definite pause after the first and last shots.

“We all heard shots and people ran from that direction into our parking lot,” he said, adding that a few people came into the business to seek shelter.

Those that came into the business said they saw two men leave the area and run into nearby woods, the employee said.

He said he called the Insurance Spot, located directly in front of Accurate Emission Clinic and next to the bank, to warn the business about what he saw and heard.

“We just got a call from our neighbor to lock our doors and that they (shot) a security guard at the bank,” said an employee of the Insurance Spot, who also declined to give her name.

After 3 p.m., the business still had its doors locked and there were four helicopters flying over the scene and surrounding area, she said.

Around the time of the incident, the woman said she was with a customer, when the customer suddenly said, “they’re shooting.”

“We thought it was fireworks,” she said. “We were told to stay in the building.”

Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.