Teen boy injured in shooting during large gathering at Cicero strip mall, police say

CICERO, Ill. (WLS) -- A teen boy was injured in a Sunday evening shooting as a large group of teens gathered at a west suburban strip mall, Cicero police said.

It all started around 5:45 p.m. Officials said around 250 teenagers gathered at an AMC movie theater in the 4700 block of West Cermak Road. It was a $4 movie night, which police said traditionally attracts a large number of teenagers.

Cellphone video from a would-be moviegoer shows dozens of teenagers being dispersed by authorities from the AMC parking lot. That witness said, at one point, there were hundreds of teenagers gathered, with many jumping on cars and attempting to break into other businesses located within the strip mall.

That, however, has not been confirmed by Cicero police, who said they estimated the crowd to be around 250 people when they first responded. The first 911 calls came in shortly after theater employees began to turn away people after it reached capacity, upsetting those who were trying to get in.

As the teens were leaving the AMC area, they walked through an ALDI parking lot in the 4600 block of West Cermak Road. Police said that's when the boy was injured, but it is not clear whether the shooting was related to the initial gathering.

"That part of it is under investigation for how that occurred. It was all about the same time, and the same circumstances as the crowd became a little unruly, and then, as we were dispersing them from the area, that's when that incident happened," said Cicero Police Supt. Thomas Boyle.

The boy was taken to Loyola hospital for treatment. He is in stable condition. Police said they made one arrest related to the shooting and have recovered a weapon, but they admit there are still many details surrounding not just the shooting, but this apparent teen takeover that they are still trying to piece together.

Officials did not immediately provide further information.