Gurnee-area teen charged with shooting former classmate

A 17-year-old Gurnee-area boy faces juvenile court charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated assault stemming from allegations he shot a former classmate during a confrontation at his home last week.

According to Lake County sheriff's police, the shooting occurred about 5 p.m. Thursday when the victim, also a 17-year-old boy, and a second teen arrived at the suspect's home on the 17700 block of West Horseshoe Lane to collect payment for a pair of shoes they had sold him.

After the suspect answered the door, he showed a semi-automatic pistol that was tucked his waistband and then reached for it, authorities said. During an ensuing struggle, the armed teen fired one shot, striking his former classmate in the inner-thigh area of both legs. Both visitors then fled, according to the sheriff's office.

The juvenile who suffered the gunshot wound attempted to tend to his injury on his own, without telling anyone he had been shot. When sheriff's detectives spoke with him and saw his injury, they ensured the boy received medical treatment, authorities said.

The accused teen remains in custody at the Hulse Juvenile Detention Facility in Vernon Township pending a juvenile detention hearing. The gun believed used in the shooting was recovered from his home Thursday, sheriff's police said.