Teenager says he was caught in crossfire in Elgin shooting

A teenager was shot in the back Wednesday night while riding a bike with a friend near Channing and Prairie streets in Elgin, police said.

The teenager was taken to Sherman Hospital, where there was no immediate word on his condition.

But police said the victim was able to talk to them while on the scene.

Police said the shooting took place at 8 p.m., less than two hours after Police Chief Lisa Womack spoke to Elgin City Council members about the city's recent rash of gang-related violence.

In July, two people were killed and three injured in a shooting on North Street.

In August, a shooting led to a lockdown at nearby Sheridan Elementary School.

And this past weekend, a shooting took place near Huff Elementary School and Drake Field while a youth football league was in session.

In Wednesday's shooting, the victim told police that he and his friend were riding home when they saw a large, dark-colored SUV and a light-colored compact car meet in an intersection, and then heard several shots fired from the vehicles.

The victim and his friend then ran to the back of a house on Channing Street, and returned when they heard emergency personnel in the area, police said.

Police ask that anyone with information on the shooting call the Elgin Police Department's special investigative division at (847) 289-2600.