Suburban Chicago teen allegedly planned shooting at elementary school, family member pinned him down
WILL COUNTY, Ill. - A suburban teenager has been charged after authorities said a family member stopped him from carrying out a planned shooting at a southwest suburban elementary school on the last day of classes before summer break.
What we know:
Deputies with the Will County Sheriff's Office were dispatched at about 12:50 p.m. May 22 to the 2400 block of Helmar Lane in Plainfield Township for a report of a suicidal person.
According to authorities, a family member discovered the teen was armed with a gun, pinned him down and called 911. It was later learned the teen was on his way to Grand Prairie Elementary School to carry out a shooting.
When being taken into custody, the teen allegedly told multiple first responders about his intentions before being transported to a nearby hospital for a medical evaluation.
The sheriff's office said officials from the Plainfield Police Department and Plainfield School District 202 were notified immediately after the incident. Additional safety measures, including an increased police presence, were put in place at district schools for the remainder of the day, which was the final day of the school year.
Authorities recovered a Glock handgun and a backpack containing multiple loaded magazines, knives, an accelerant, gloves and other items.
The teen has been charged with the following:
- Attempted first-degree murder
- Attempted making a terrorist threat
- Unlawful possession of a handgun
- Aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon
- Possession of firearm ammunition without a required FOID card
- Unlawful possession of weapons
- Two counts of unlawful use of weapons
What we don't know:
The age and identity of the suspect remain unknown because he is a juvenile.
What's next:
After being released from the hospital Thursday morning, the teen was transferred to the custody of the Will County Sheriff's Office and taken to the River Valley Justice Detention Center.
He is scheduled to appear in court Friday.
The Source: The information in this story came from the Will County Sheriff's Office.