The coroner’s office has identified a Gurnee teen who was shot in the head and killed during a shooting at Bowen Park in Waukegan early Sunday morning.
An autopsy showed that Ladarrius M. Cowart, 18, of Gurnee, died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 2:20 a.m. Sunday to Bowen Park, 1800 North Sheridan Road, for a report of a shooting.
Officers arrived and located a victim that had been shot in one of the park’s parking lots, according to Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Joe Florip.
Paramedics pronounced the victim, identified as Cowart, dead at the scene.
The Waukegan Police Criminal Investigations Division was called to investigate the shooting.
Investigators believe that numerous people, possibly between 50-70, were in the parking lot when the shooting occurred.
None of the witnesses have come forward, Florip said.
“We know there are witnesses to this crime. For this violence to stop, members of the community must come forward,” Waukegan Police Chief Wayne Walles said.
Numerous shell casings were located at the scene but police are not releasing the number of casings found or calibers of the casings.
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to contact the Waukegan Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 847-360-9001.
The incident remains under investigation by the Waukegan Police Department and Lake County Coroner’s Office.