Editor's note: The WBBM staff has posted an update. The original story follows it.
ROUND LAKE BEACH (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A suspect connected to Wednesday's shooting death of a far north suburban teenage girl has been placed into police custody.
The Lake County Major Crime Task Force made announcement Friday morning.
Spokesperson Chris Covelli said law enforcement developed several leads and identified a person of interest in the killing of 15-year-old Valeria Rodriguez.
She was seated at her family's dinner table Wednesday night in Round Lake Beach when a stray bullet entered the home and hit her. She was transported to an area hospital but later died.
Police said Friday they secured a search warrant to the home of the suspect and ultimately found a gun.
The weapon was seized, police said, and the suspect remains in custody as investigators continue their investigation.
Original Story
ROUND LAKE BEACH (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Lake County authorities continue to investigate a shooting Wednesday night that left a teenage girl dead.
Residents near the 1500 block of Cherokee Drive in Round Lake Beach initially told 911 operators they had heard an explosion around 9 p.m.
“Police officers and firefighters arrived on the scene and found it wasn’t an explosion, it was a gunshot fired from an outdoor area,” said Chris Covelli, spokesperson for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.
“Unfortunately, a projectile from whoever shot that gun entered a home through a window and struck a 15-year-old girl who was completely innocent inside her home.”
That girl, identified as Valeria Rodriguez, was hospitalized and later died from her injuries.
“She was around a dinner table when the shot came through a window, struck her,” said Covelli. “She immediately collapsed. The family initially didn’t know what happened.”
Covelli said, while the teen was likely not the intended target of the shooting, it’s still unclear if someone else in the home was.
“Investigators are working very hard to try to identify the offender who pulled the trigger, figure out who they are and bring them to justice," Covelli said. "It’s still early, but they are working hard, doing everything they possibly can to further the investigation.”
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