A 15-year-old suspect with more than 20 arrests over the past five years has been charged in connection with a weekend shooting event in Peoria that sent another boy to the hospital.
Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria announced the arrest at a news conference Tuesday night, highlighting a need for increased parental oversight to reduce juvenile crime.
“Our victims of today can be our suspects of tomorrow, and we want to stop that now,” said Echevarria. “I remind our public: Know where your children are at. Pay attention to what's going on in their life. Know who they’re with. Why are these juveniles out in the middle of the night victimizing our community?”
The incident happened Sunday night at the RiverWest public housing complex in South Peoria. Echevarria said officers responded to a two-round ShotSpotter alert in the 1300 block of SW Phoenix shortly after 8:30 p.m.
The police chief said residents saw the suspect attempting to break into a vehicle. When a citizen approached, the teen fled the scene and fired a shot as he ran. The stray bullet entered an apartment and struck the 9-year-old who was eating dinner inside.
The police said the victim is recovering at the hospital in stable condition, and his injuries are not considered life-threatening.
“We need to wrap services around this young man. We started that our co-response has been in contact with the family has been talking to him," the chief said.
Echevarria said the suspect is being held in the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center after being arrested Monday on charges of aggravated battery and attempted vehicular burglary.
He said the alleged offender’s youthfulness and extensive record — which includes arrests for crimes including armed robbery, aggravated use of a weapon, motor vehicle theft, mob action, and more — raises concerns.
“Over 20 arrests — 20. The question I always get, ‘Well, police, what are you doing?” said Echevarria. “Well, guess what? Those 20 arrests? We made. Those are 20 arrests that the Peoria Police Department has made.”
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali joined Echevarria at the news conference and said the police need assistance from the community to curb juvenile crime.
“It takes more than just locking these children up. It takes interventions, and it's really going to take an entire village,” said Ali. “We have to get nosy into our children's lives and really get more involved.”
But Chuck Grayeb, the 2nd District councilman and one of Ali’s opponents in the Feb. 25 primary, called Ali’s remarks “irresponsible.”
“This line of thinking is why this crime was committed,” Grayeb said in a Facebook post. “This 20-time repeat offender should not have been allowed to wander freely with this track record.”
