Country Club Hills police appeal for help finding shooter of Hillcrest High School freshman

COUNTRY CLUB HILLS, Ill. (WLS) -- Country Club Hills police said their investigation into the shooting death of 14-year-old Marshawn Mitchell after leaving a homecoming football game has been hampered by uncooperative witnesses.

Mitchell's mother, Amanda Lenore, pleaded for the public's help finding her son's killer Wednesday afternoon.

"My son lost his life at school. What if it was your child? How would you feel? You would want your child's murder to be solved," she said through tears.

Mitchell was shot around 9 p.m. Friday night after the football game had ended.

Investigators said officers were dispersing a large group of people along 175th Street when an unknown gunman opened fire on the crowd.

Mitchell was shot multiple times and rushed to the hospital in critical condition where he later died. Police said he was not the intended target.

Police said Wednesday they recovered a vehicle they believe was involved in the shooting and investigators have developed information about possible suspects, but they still need more information to make an arrest.

"At this point, we are hoping to reach out to the public as we need positive identification on these subjects. We've been met with some resistance on some witnesses who are reluctant to cooperate with us," said Chief John Galvin.

"It was hundreds of kids out here. A lot of kids has been messaging me, telling me things. Please allow your child to come forward and identify the shooter," Lenore said.

Mitchell was a freshman at Hillcrest High School and his family said he was a gifted football player who had dreams of playing in the NFL.

The school canceled its homecoming dance because of the shooting and have been offering support to students.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Country Club Hills police at 708-798-3191 or their anonymous tip line at 708-206-2899.

Community activist Andrew Holmes is offering a reward of at least $2,000 for any information that leads to an arrest.