Demond Avant, 17, shot and killed in Austin

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Demond Avant, 17, was fatally shot in the head in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.

Police said the teen was standing on the sidewalk in the 600-block of North Mayfield Avenue when a gunman came out of a van and opened fire just before 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

A neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, was startled by the gunshots. She looked out her window and saw a dark van speed off.

"It sounded like a volley, like someone was unloading - rapid fire. It had to have been somewhere between seven and nine shots," the neighbor said.

Avant, of the 1000-block of North Monitor Avenue, was pronounced dead at 10:10 p.m. Wednesday. Police said he was not in a gang.

Avant's family would not speak on camera. But they told ABC7 Eyewitness News that he was a student at the Academy of Scholastic Achievement, which serves high-risk teens in neighborhoods on Chicago's West Side.

Investigators are talking to several people, but have not confirmed any charges.