A man who fled the scene of a shooting at a large New Year’s party in Highland Park has been charged after he was found in possession of a gun, but police are unsure if he was the shooter or not.
Keymon D. Shanklin, 22, of the 6700 block of South Claremont Avenue in Chicago, was charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
The Highland Park Police Department was assisting with a parking complaint in the 1400 block of Ridge Road around 2:40 a.m. Wednesday when officers heard gunshots nearby.
The shooting occurred at a large party was taking place at a short-term rental home. Several partygoers fled the area, police said.
“During the initial investigation, officers interviewed partygoers and no verifiable victims or witnesses have been attributed to this incident at this point,” the Highland Park Police Department said in a statement Thursday.
Officers stopped a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed from the area of the party and a brief foot pursuit ensued in the area of Deerfield Road and Carlisle Avenue in Deerfield.
The passenger of the vehicle that fled was identified as Shanklin and officers found a loaded gun in his possession. Police said that they are unsure if Shanklin was the person who fired shots at the party.
Shanklin appeared in bond court Thursday and remains held in the Lake County Jail on a $150,000 bond.
Detectives continue to investigate and are attempting to locate victims or witnesses. Anyone with information is asked to call the Highland Park Police Department at 847-432-7730.