ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - Erin Murphy says in the four months she has worked at Burger King near Rockford Casino: A Hard Rock Opening Act, she has never seen anything like she did Saturday night.

“All the sudden I heard, like, six gun shots go off and they were loud. It scared me,” said Murphy.

Those shots were fired when police say a man aimed a gun at officers and was shot several times in response.

“Everything happened in the parking lot with my officer and the city officer as backup,” said Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana.

Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd says Rockford police dispatched for back up after a call for assistance at around 8:30 p.m. But in the hours that passed after the shooting, Murphy and her coworkers still hadn’t heard confirmation on what caused the gunfire.

“We were really nervous here; I locked the doors,” said Murphy. “There was customers in here that were scared.”

Murphy says families and children inside the restaurant stayed put for nearly 45 minutes in fear and confusion while dozens of police cars gathered across the street.

“This is really big. I’ve never seen a scene this big. It’s like, every cop in Rockford,” said Murphy. “Police just kept coming, and coming; and coming.”

Police report the armed suspect is in critical condition at a nearby hospital.

Hard Rock released a statement saying the casino returned to normal hours and operation Sunday, but Murphy says she’s still in shock.

“I just, you know- fear for my family and kids,” said Murphy. “Crime is getting so bad in Rockford.”

Murphy says she’s relieved that no by-standers were hurt in the shooting. Chief Redd says any additional information about the shooting will come from the Winnebago-Boone Integrity Task Force, who’re investigating the officer involved shooting.

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