A teen suspect has been arrested after three people were shot dead and a fourth person wounded in an apparent home invasion gone wrong in a Chicago suburb.
The deadly incident unfolded at around 8.15pm on Sunday when law enforcement were called to the 100 block of Lee Lane in Bolingbrook to a report of a possible home invasion, according to Bolingbrook Police.
Officers arrived on the scene to find four victims – two women, one man and a juvenile female – suffering from gunshot wounds.
Three of the victims – Cartez Daniels, 40; Samiya A. Shelton-Tillman, 17; and Sanai Daniels – were all pronounced dead from their injuries.
The second woman , 34-year-old Tania Stewart, was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
Around two hours after the shooting, 17-year-old suspect Byrion Montgomery was taken into custody near his residence.
According to a signed complaint and warrant obtained by WGN from the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office,
Mr Montgomery is now facing 13 felony charges, accordng to a warrant from the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, and will be tried as an adult. The charges include nine counts of first degree murder and one count each of attempted first degree murder, home invasion, aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
Mr Montgomery’s bond was set at $20m and he entered a not guilty plea in court on Tuesday.
Investigators believe Mr Montgomery was in a relationship with Tillman, the teenage victim killed.
A three-year-old boy and 14-year-old boy were at the home where the shooting took place but were not harmed, authorities said.
The shooting comes just days after Lori Lightfoot became the first mayor in 40 years to lose a reelection bid in Chicago, at a time when the city is witnessing a surge in crime.
Ms Lightfoot, the city’s first Black female mayor and first openly gay mayor, failed to get enought votes to secure a spot in the runoff election.
On Sunday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that Ms Lightfoot’s loss was a “warning sign for the country” that Americans want their cities to be safe.
“I showed up at crime scenes. I knew what New Yorkers were saying. And I saw it all over the country. I think, if anything, it is really stating that this is what I have been talking about. America, we have to be safe,” Mr Adams told CNN.
Anyone with information about Sunday’s incident is urged to contact the Bolingbrook Police Department Investigations Division at 630-226-8620 or to anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 630-378-4772. A tip may also be submitted at bolingbrookcrimestoppers.org or by using the mobile P3 Tips app. All contact with Crime Stoppers is anonymous and if the information leads to an arrest, a cash reward may be issued.