A typical night of entertainment at an all-ages country music club in unincorporated Lowell turned into a nightmare as a domestic argument a few storefronts down became deadly Saturday night.
People were starting to arrive at DW’s Junction 2-65, 2972 E. 181st Ave., when, at around 7:15 p.m., two girls ran into the club and said people were shooting outside, club owner Dan Ward said Monday. Ward, along with his security team, went outside to see what was going on when the security officer, who went outside first, yelled back that “two people were dead.”
Behind Karmic Sunshine is a camper, where reportedly the owner of the shop, Robin Meyers, was living with her boyfriend Jeffrey Smith. On Saturday, police determined that Smith shot Meyers before turning the gun on himself inside the shop in unincorporated Lowell. (Michelle L. Quinn/Post-Tribune)
Lake County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Pam Jones said in a release Sunday afternoon that a preliminary investigation indicates the shooting was an argument that escalated into the shooting. The woman, 56-year-old Robin Meyers of Demotte, was shot and died at the scene, while her 62-year-old boyfriend and the suspected shooter, Jeffrey Smith of Cudahy Wisconsin, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the release stated.
“There were about 20 to 25 minor kids in there, along with seven employees, so we locked them in,” Ward said. “Everyone thought it was a random person shooting at first, and the police got there quick and told us to stay in.”
In order to keep everyone calm, Ward decided to turn on the music and let everyone try to enjoy their night, he said. By about 10:30 pm, police gave Ward the all-clear and let him know that the situation wasn’t random, but a murder-suicide involving the owners of Karmic Sunshine, a gift and antique shop at the other end of the strip mall.
Ward said the couple had been coming into his club just about every weekend for the last few months, and they were “extremely friendly.” But the man told him that all wasn’t well, he said.
“They’d been living behind the business because they’d gotten in really bad debt,” Ward said. “He also told me his daughter got gunned down in Minnesota by her ex-husband, so he had a lot going on, but taking someone’s life is never the solution.”
The 24-year-old daughter of the woman who died was also there during the argument and tried to escape but was shot in the arm, police said. The daughter’s husband and young child were also present but were not injured.
The daughter was taken to a Chicago hospital where she was listed as stable, the release stated.
“My thoughts and prayers are with all those whose lives have been affected by yesterday’s tragic shooting. We are keeping the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this heartbreaking incident in our prayers as this remains an ongoing investigation,” Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said in the release.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.