A 17-year-old boy was transported to the hospital after police say he accidentally shot himself and then tried ditching his gun before officers arrived in Waukegan.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 2:29 a.m. Sunday to the 2300 block of Greenwood Avenue for a report of a person shot.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Scott Chastain said officers located a 17-year-old Waukegan boy who had been shot.
The gunshot wound went through his thigh and calf areas.
Officers applied a tourniquet to the teenager’s leg to control the bleeding until paramedics arrived, Chastain said.
The teenager was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
Investigators spoke to the 17-year-old at the hospital and he admitted he had accidentally shot himself, Chastain said.
The boy said he then tossed the gun near the area where he was found.
An area search was conducted by officers along with a Waukegan police canine, which was requested to the scene.
Chastain said Officer Brandon Klein and his canine partner located an unloaded gun in a yard in the area of the incident.
The .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun will be sent to the crime lab for further testing.
The juvenile was released to his parent pending further investigation into the incident.