Two teens charged in Aurora shooting

Two teenage boys have been charged in connection with a shooting at Phillips Park in Aurora, authorities said today.

Police said initial reports the boys targeted a teenage girl walking near Mastodon Lake Monday morning were incorrect. The boys actually were targeting a man in a car who flashed a gang sign at them, police said.

The 14-year-old and 16-year-old boys were not identified because of their age. Police said they live in Aurora.

The younger boy was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school and two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. The older boy was charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

The shooting occurred just before 11:20 a.m., police said.

Police said the two boys, along with two other boys, were walking in the park when they saw the unknown man flash a gang sign at them. They continued walking a bit, but when they got about 40 to 50 yards from the car, the younger boy turned and fired two shots at the car.

The car sped away and the boys ran. Witnesses called police.

An Aurora police sergeant responding to the call saw the four boys in front of a nearby nursing home. When the boys spotted the police car, the older boy discarded the gun in some bushes. The sergeant pulled up and held the four at gunpoint until backup arrived. Police found the loaded handgun in the bushes.

Police said the subsequent investigation determined only one gun was used and reports of a weapon being tossed into the lake were incorrect.

Police have assigned extra patrols to nearby East Aurora High School in response to the incident.