A suspect is in custody and a machine gun was recovered after he shot a man in a house, with a bullet coming within inches of a child’s face, in Zion Saturday evening.
The Zion Fire Rescue Department and Zion Police Department responded around 7:58 p.m. Saturday to the 2800 block of Emmaus Avenue in Zion for a report of a shooting.
Officers found a gunshot victim and paramedics rushed him to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for treatment.
The victim, a 28-year-old man, had been shot in the thigh and the suspect had fled the scene, prosecutors said.
Officers interviewed two witnesses, including a woman who told officers that the suspect was being rude to her and the victim came in to stop it.
The suspect pulled out a black handgun and shot the victim in the leg when he tried intervening, prosecutors said.
A teenage juvenile witness told officers he was in the hallway of the home and heard a commotion and saw the argument.
The child saw the suspect pull out a handgun and shoot the victim, causing the child to duck into a bedroom.
He stuck his head out of the hallway and a bullet flew past his face, at which time he heard three more gunshots fired, prosecutors said.
Officers recovered three casings and also found a projectile in an interior wall. They estimated the bullet came within inches to two feet of the child’s face, prosecutors said.
Officers located the suspect and took him into custody. A machine gun was recovered and charges are pending against the suspect.