Vi Nguyen

A dramatic scene unfolded in the south suburbs on Tuesday when police said someone tried to rob a customer at a gas station.

Things took an unexpected turn when the customer, who police said is a concealed carry license holder, opened fire, shooting the suspected robber.

NBC Chicago got a chance to see the surveillance video from the incident at the Shell gas station near 151st Street and Harlem Avenue in Orland Park. The gas station owner would not grant permission to air the footage, citing the ongoing police investigation.

Is 20 minutes enough time to eat lunch? Parents in a suburban school district are saying no after learning the lunch period for their middle school students was shortened.

Carlos Lopez is among a group of parents not happy about the change to the lunch schedule, shortening the period from 30 minutes to 20 minutes, at Daniel Wright Junior High School, situated within Lincolnshire Prairie View School District 103.

“I’m mostly frustrated, disappointed that the administration seems to not share our concerns,” he said.

He and his wife found out about the shortened lunch period from his oldest son, who is a seventh grader at the school.

“We find that half of his lunch was eaten, the other half he ended up throwing it away and we asked him what happened and he said, ‘well, lunch period is only 20 minutes now—I didn’t have time to finish my lunch,’” he said.

Suburban Frankfort is reeling from another tragedy after a 6-year-old girl was hit and killed by a school bus driver as she was on her way home from school on Tuesday.

Students and staff at Grand Prairie Elementary are mourning the death of a classmate now identified as Jenna Menias after she was fatally struck just before 3:30 p.m. on the block where her family lives near Aberdeen Road and Heather Lane.

The mayor of Frankfort told NBC Chicago his community is hurting once again. This comes a week after 2-year-old Barrett Walsh was found murdered in the basement of his family’s home.

A 31-year-old woman was identified as the bystander shot and killed after getting caught in a crossfire outside a home in suburban Lockport, according to authorities.

Michelle Robinson, 31, was shot and killed Wednesday night in an apparent homicide in the 200 block of Dellwood Avenue, the Will County Coroner said.

According to the Will County Sheriff, Robinson and another adult male were “merely bystanders” who got caught in a crossfire while they were standing outside. The man was expected to recover, the sheriff’s office said.

A 2-year-old has died and the child’s mother has been hospitalized after police said she attempted self-harm in what they’re calling a “domestic-related homicide” in Frankfort.

According to police, officers were called just after 4 p.m. Tuesday to the 22700 block of Brook Stone Court for a report of an unresponsive child. There, they found a 2-year-old at the home and CPR was being administered.

The child was taken to a local hospital for treatment, but was later pronounced dead, police said.

Also at the home, police said the child’s mother was discovered attempting self-harm. She was taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police said a preliminary investigation indicated the incident was a “domestic-related homicide.”

A child is dead and a mother hospitalized after she was found attempting self-harm in a scene officials said left a southern Chicago suburb “in shock.”

The situation unfolded late Tuesday afternoon as authorities said a 2-year-old was discovered unresponsive and officers arrived to find the child’s mother attempting self-harm. A homicide investigation is now underway.

A group of Chicago police officers are volunteering their time to help families impacted by the recent devastating earthquake in Colombia.

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake on August 10 killed more than 300 people and injured thousands of others, and the country is still trying to recover from the disaster.

Chicago Police Officer Scott Florez told NBC Chicago it’s been hard seeing the devastation and destruction in Colombia firsthand, and that it puts his job in the city into perspective.

“It’s something else, as a police officer to get to see a lot of different things that happen in Chicago, but tragedy like this—there’s no words,” he said.

🚨UPDATE: residents said power was restored after our story aired!

Dozens of people in Northwest Indiana are still struggling to get their lights back on after the devastating storms and tornadoes that moved through the area on Aug. 11.

Residents at a mobile park home in Lake Station say they’ve been without power for going on 18 days.

Samantha Sheely and some of her neighbors are frustrated.

“The longest we’ve been without power since we’ve lived here was like three to four days,” she said. “This is insane.”

She lives at Mansard Du Lac, a mobile home park with her friend and 2-year-old daughter. They’ve been relying on a generator but said it adds up every single day.

Amtrak’s proposed plan to relocate a maintenance facility from Chicago’s South Loop to Bridgeport is sparking major backlash from neighbors.

Bridgeport residents pushing back on the plan say they’re worried about the potential health risks and impact on families. Amtrak said the new facility is needed and would improve performance, services and create thousands of jobs.

Those in opposition of the plan told NBC Chicago they’re angry and have signed a petition calling out Amtrak.

“We are stopping this from happening,” said Anne Caruso, a Bridgeport resident. “This is not going to happen in Bridgeport.”

A new transitional shelter is opening next month to serve the homeless population on Chicago’s Far North Side.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before done municipally to create the most dignified trauma informed space like the Haven,” said Executive Director Andrew Winter of Cornerstone Community Outreach.

The Haven on Lincoln is believed to be the first non-congregate shelter of its kind in the city.

“This is the first one where each individual gets their own full hotel style room,” Winter said. “Other ones might be four to six to a room or two in a dorm space.”