The Peoria County State's Attorney's Office will seek to have the 15-year-old suspect charged with the shooting that injured a 9-year-old boy tried in adult court.
The shooting happened Sunday night in the 1300 block of SW Phoenix, within the RiverWest public housing complex in South Peoria. Authorities said a witness confronted a group of three teens seen trying to break into a vehicle in the parking lot.
The 15-year-old allegedly raised a gun and fired once at the witness as he fled. That shot missed the witness and instead struck the 9-year-old boy, who was inside his home at the time of the incident. The child was last reported to be in an area hospital in stable condition.
The teenager is charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm and attempted burglary. A transfer to adult court would mean heavier penalties are on the table for the teenager, if convicted. The state's attorney's office petition to move the case must be approved by a judge.
During a hastily-called Tuesday press conference, a visibly frustrated Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria said the 15-year-old has been arrested more than 20 times over the past five years. Those arrests included previous charges of armed robbery, aggravated use of a weapon, motor vehicle theft, and mob action.
The two other teenagers believed linked to the case were arrested Thursday in the 800 block of S. Griswold. A 14-year-old boy and 15-year-old boy face attempted vehicle burglary charges. The 15-year-old was also arrested for two previous motor vehicle theft cases.
Peoria County prosecutors said the Sunday incident was caught on the victim's home surveillance video. Authorities said the teenager who fired the gun was seen on tape wearing a court-ordered GPS ankle monitor. The tracking data reportedly showed just one ankle monitor in the area at the time of the shooting: that of the suspect.
Prosecutors said the ankle monitor was ordered in a previous case. The state's attorney's office had requested detention in that case, but a judge ruled home confinement and electronic monitoring were more appropriate. The state's attorney's office didn't disclose what the charges were in that previous case.
The 15-year-old currently remains in detention at the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center.
