That gathering was a private party that was taking place at the local pool. It appears that the teenager involved was a guest at the party, and police say that they only fired after he refused to drop his gun.
"My kid's trying to have a good time. It's supposed to be a safe environment and still he gets caught up in the violence," said Steven Russell, Parent.
The gathering was supposed to be a fundraiser thrown by the cheerleaders at Richton Park's Rich South High School. But a teenager waving a gun put an end to the party. Responding to a call of someone threatening people with a weapon, Park Forest Police arrived at the aqua center just before eleven Friday night.
"They told my cousin to stop, but he proceeded to run and that's when they started shooting and police officers told him to drop his gun," said Doiaain Yaniai, a witness to shooting.
Police say the 18-year-old, who appears to be a recent graduate of Rich South, was shot once, taken into custody and transported to St. James hospital for treatment. The seriousness of his injury has not been released.
Meanwhile Park Forest Police cordoned off the aqua center and kept the partygoers inside taking their statements as to the events leading up to the police-involved shooting.
Because this is a police involved shooting Park Forest protocol requires the Illinois State Police Public Integrity unit to investigate the incident and the officer involved. Police say they did recover the offender's weapon at the scene. Again no word as to what condition he was in when taken to the hospital.
