The Chicago Tribune also reports he may have targeted a women's shop to avoid confrontation with men.
At a news conference Tuesday police finally confirmed that a lone survivor is helping them piece together exactly what happened during Saturday's deadly shooting.
WBBM has been reporting that the survivor has been assisting police since Sunday afternoon, however Tuesday marks the first time police have confirmed these reports.
Tinely Park Police Commander Rick Bruno says that woman who survived is being interviewed by police and is helping them with a more detailed description of the gunman. He also says police are taking precautions to ensure the woman's safety.
Bruno urged anyone who can provide further information or assist police in anyway with the case to call (708) 444-5394.
A source tells the Tribune the gunman took the women to a back room and bound them with duct tape he brought with him.
The suspect remains at large.
Police describe him as a stocky black man between 25 and 35-years-old, was wearing jeans with rhinestones on the back pockets. He was clean shaven and had thick braids one of which had visible green beads.
"Witnesses were able to provide the fact that he had one braid laying over the right side of his face at cheek level," said Tinley Park Police Chief Michael O'Connell. "The braid had four light green beads on the end of the braid and the braids on his head appeared to be pulled straight back under the cap he was wearing."
A Kentucky newspaper reports a sixth woman survived the attack. The 33-year-old woman worked weekends at the store. According to the Messenger newspaper in Madisonville, Ky., she was shot in the neck and was able to call for help.
She was treated and released from an area hospital, according to her parents, who live in Kentucky.
The gunman bound all six women and then shot at their heads during the Saturday attack - but one bullet hit the surviving woman's neck, The Messenger reported, citing a couple identified as the woman's parents.
The WBBM is not naming the woman or her parents because authorities have not confirmed their information
Tinley Park Police Chief Mike O'Connell has said that the investigation has been ``extremely sensitive'' and that ``we need to keep ... information confidential.''
At the strip mall, mourners placed bouquets of flowers on a growing pile on a curb in front of the Lane Bryant. Five white crosses included the names and photos of the murdered women.
The storefront remained cordoned off by yellow police tape as dozens of investigators congregated.
The lone survivor is a student and worked weekends at the plus-size clothing store, the woman's parents told the Messenger newspaper.
She was released from the hospital and then spoke with investigators, according to the mother, who told the newspaper she has spoken to her daughter by phone. She added that she understood her daughter was the only witness.
The woman's parents retired two years ago and moved to Kentucky from Illinois, the newspaper reported.
Federal authorities said Monday they are assisting the Tinley Park department's search for the gunman.
``They have asked for our assistance, which we're providing,'' said Ross Rice, an FBI spokesman for the agency's Chicago office. He declined to detail the agency's involvement, including whether it was assisting the investigation, the manhunt or both.
The dead have been identified as Connie R. Woolfolk, 37, of Flossmoor; Sarah T. Szafranski, 22, of Oak Forest; Carrie H. Chiuso, 33, of Frankfort; Rhoda McFarland, 42, of Joliet; and Jennifer L. Bishop, 34, of South Bend, Ind.
A $55,000 reward - most of which is being paid for by Lane Bryant's parent company, Charming Shoppes Inc. - was being offered for information leading to the suspect's arrest.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
