Five Chicago teens are being charged with murder after a 14-year-old who was with them during an attempted burglary was shot by the homeowner, authorities said Tuesday.

The group traveled in a stolen Lexus to an Illinois home where they were confronted by the 75-year-old homeowner, according to the Lake County Illinois Sheriff's Office. The man went out to investigate and told authorities he believed someone was trying to steal his car, a 2011 Audi.

"At least one of the male subjects advanced toward him with an unknown object in his hand," officials said in a release. "The homeowner feared for his life and discharged a firearm."

At least one of the rounds from the small caliber revolver struck the 14-year-old, and a knife was later found at the scene of the shooting. The homeowner called 911 to report the attempted burglary and shots fired, but by the time police arrived all of the suspects had fled.

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Meanwhile, about 3 miles down the road local police were investigating a traffic crash when the stolen Lexus pulled up to the scene, Detective Sgt. Chris Covelli told reporters at a news conference. Two of the occupants exited the vehicle and one flagged down the officers to assist the other who had a gunshot wound to the head.

Covelli said officers began first aid on the gunshot victim and called an ambulance while the other individual was taken into custody.

The remaining four teens fled in the Lexus "at a high rate of speed," according to Covelli. The ensuing car chase reached speeds of 120 mile per hour and only ended when the Lexus ran out of gas.

The four teens fled the vehicle on foot, three of whom Covelli said were taken into custody "pretty quickly." The fourth suspect was located by an officer and a K-9 about a block away inside a dumpster.





All five of the teens, ages 16 to 18, were charged with first degree murder "due to them being in commission of a forcible felony, when the 14-year-old victim was shot and subsequently died as a result of being shot during the commission of a burglary," authorities said in the release. Only one of the suspects, 18-year-old Diamond Davis, has been identified.

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The teens appeared in court Tuesday afternoon and a Lake County judge set bail at $1 million each. They are set to appear in court again on Sept. 5.

Sheriff John Idleburg thanked the law enforcement agencies that assisted on the case at a press conference Tuesday.

"Anytime there is a loss of life, it is a tragedy for the family and friends of the deceased," Idleburg added. "Our condolences go out to the family of the young man who lost his life today, despite the circumstances.”

Follow N'dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg





This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 teens charged with murder of 14-year-old shot by homeowner during burglary attempt





