A 14-year-old boy was fatally shot by a licensed gun owner after a group tried stealing his car from his home near Antioch and then led police on a high-speed chase into Chicago early Tuesday, police said during a press conference.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded at 1:15 a.m. Tuesday to the 17600 block of West Edwards Road in unincorporated Antioch for an attempted vehicle theft at a residence.
The 75-year-old homeowner and owner of the car told sheriff’s deputies he shot at the suspects trying to steal his car before they fled the scene, according to Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli.
A short time later, Gurnee police were at the scene of a crash at Grand Avenue and Hunt Club Road around 1:35 a.m when a stolen 2015 Lexus SUV approached the scene with six people inside it.
The occupants in the vehicle told police officers that one of the people in the car, a 14-year-old Chicago boy, needed medical attention for a gunshot wound, Covelli said. One of the occupants in the car helped remove the injured boy from the vehicle.
Police arrested a 17-year-old boy who got out of the car and the other four fled the scene in the vehicle. Paramedics responded and transported the boy who had been shot to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he was pronounced dead.
The Gurnee Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office began pursuing the suspect vehicle, at which point speeds reached over 100 mph, Covelli said.
The Illinois State Police and Chicago Police Department joined the pursuit and it ended in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood near Halstead Street and Randolph Street.
A 16-year-old boy, 17-year-old boy and an 18-year-old woman were taken into custody around 2 a.m. after running from the car, according to Illinois State Police. Lake County Sheriff Canine Dax found the fourth suspect, a 17-year-old boy, hiding inside a dumpster.
Covelli said at a press conference Tuesday morning that the Antioch homeowner saw a vehicle on his driveway and went outside.
He realized the group of people were trying to steal his vehicle and then two males, one of whom was holding something in his hand, approached him quickly while he was still on his porch, Covelli said.
The homeowner discharged his small caliber revolver, striking the boy in the head, Covelli said. A knife was later recovered at the scene.