13-year-old charged after 15-year-old is shot near community center in Matteson, Illinois
A 13-year-old boy has been charged after a 15-year-old boy was critically injured in a shooting near a community center on Tuesday afternoon in Matteson, Illinois.
The boy was charged as a juvenile with aggravated battery with a firearm and attempted first-degree murder. He was taken to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center.
A spokesperson for the village said the shooting happened in a split second.
At 4:22 p.m., police and paramedics were called to the Matteson Community Center, at 20642 Matteson Ave., for a person shot. They found the 15-year-old boy inside the community center with a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.
The boy, from Park Forest, was rushed to the emergency room and was listed in critical condition.
Matteson police investigators learned there had been a fight between the victim and a 13-year-old boy, who then pulled out a gun, and fired a shot outside the community center.
The shooter ran off on foot, while the victim entered the community center seeking assistance, police said.
Two hours later, around 6:30 p.m., police spotted the 13-year-old arriving at a home in Richton Park. As officers approached, he briefly ran before he was taken into custody.
The gun was found in a nearby retention pond about 100 yards from the community center. It is not clear how the 13-year-old boy obtained the gun.
Police said the boys regularly attended the community center.
"What was he doing with a gun in the first place?" said Lucille Cooper, who attends the community center.
The Matteson Community Center reopened on Wednesday morning.
"I'm still going to come here and support. It's my community," said Steven Gram, who attends the community center. "We just got to look past it and keep going and probably come up with some programs to help those individuals to help prevent this type of situation."
Matteson's village manager said the center has been in the community for 15 years, and this was the first shooting that has ever happened there.
Police were investigating what sparked the fight that led up to the shooting, as well as how the 13-year-old ended up with a gun. It's unclear if charges will be filed.
A spokesperson for the Village of Matteson said protocols were in place and all the employees did what they were supposed to do. Those protocols include immediately calling 911 and securing the surrounding area.
CBS News Chicago is told police were nearby and got him to the hospital in a timely fashion.
