Waukegan cops fatally shoot teen after he attacked officer

A 17-year-old Waukegan High School student was killed after taking "multiple gun shot wounds" to the chest during a scuffle with police Wednesday evening, said Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller.

Keller said four bullets pierced the chest of Jeffrey Lewis at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday outside of a home on the 500 block of Helmholz Avenue.

He said each of those bullets would have been fatal, and it's unclear which shot officially killed the teenager.

Overall, a police sergeant fired at least six shots from his gun into Lewis after he threatened to hit a rookie police officer with a hammer during the scuffle with police, Keller said. An additional two bullets were discovered in Lewis's arm during the autopsy completed at about noon.

According to police, the two unnamed officers were trying to break up a street fight when Lewis struck the officer in the head with a hammer.

After the hammer attack, the Waukegan police sergeant - who was training the rookie that day - pulled his gun and fired at the teen, killing him.

The officer injured in the scuffle was treated and released from Lake Forest Hospital late Wednesday, said Cmdr. Wayne Wallace of the Waukegan Police Department.

Officials believed the unnamed officer suffered a fractured skull after being hit in the head with a hammer, but

Wallace would not discuss the injuries to the officer.

Lewis was pronounced dead on the scene and the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident.