Three injured in shooting at Six Flags Great America amusement park near Chicago

Shots were fired from a vehicle in a car park, according to a park representative

Three people were injured in a shooting at an amusement park near the US city of Chicago on Sunday evening.

The attacker opened fire after getting out of a vehicle in a car park outside Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, police said.

A white sedan entered the Six Flags car park and the attacker got out and began shooting towards another person.

After the shooting, the attacker got back in the vehicle and quickly drove away from the amusement park, about 72 kilometres north of Chicago.

A male, 17, and woman, 19, were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening leg injuries, police said.

A third person who suffered a shoulder injury declined to go to the hospital.

“The shooting this evening was not a random act, and appeared to be a targeted incident that occurred outside the park. This was not an active shooter incident inside the park,” Gurnee police said.

Bystander Laurie Walker told WGN News she was inside the park with her daughter, Grace, when the shots were fired.

She said they were waiting in a queue for an attraction at around 7.50pm when people started running in a panic.

“There is an active shooter, get down, get down,” Ms Walker said someone shouted. “We didn’t know what was going on, so we get down.”

People crouch behind barricades after a shooting at the Six Flags Great America amusement park in Illinois, US. Reuters

Ms Walker and her daughter climbed over two fences to get “out of plain view sight”.

After hiding for a short while, she said she was able to leave the park.

The Northern Illinois Police Alarm System assisted with clearing the theme park of guests and staff, the department said. The incident is under investigation.

Six Flags Great America is a 121-hectare theme park between Chicago and Milwaukee, with 17 rollercoasters, entertainment and three themed areas for children.

Gurnee is in Lake County, about 32km north of Highland Park, where seven people died in a mass shooting during a July Fourth parade.