Merrillville High School football player killed in Friday shooting in Homewood

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (WLS) -- A football player for Merrillville High School was killed in a shooting in south suburban Homewood Friday.

Homewood village officials said officers responded to reports of shots fired around 8:35 p.m. Friday in the parking lot of a Buffalo Wild Wings in the 17500-block of Halsted.

When they arrived, they found a man with life-threatening gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died. Another 18-year-old from Merrillville, Ind., was also shot and drove himself to a Gary hospital, where he was treated and later released.

The victim was identified as 18-year-old Johnathan Brown, a football player for Merrillville High School. The football team tweeted a message, saying, "Please keep the Family, Friends, and Pirate Football Family in your thoughts and prayers as we mourn the loss of senior Johnathan Brown. He brought a great smile and joy to our football program. He will be missed."

Students return to class Tuesday for the first time since this loss, and the superintendent said the school will have additional staff and counselors on hand to help students during the difficult time.

The district said in a statement, "Johnathan attended Merrillville Community Schools up through middle school and then moved to Illinois. He came back to us this August. He was a valued member of our football team and a wonderful young man. It is a very sad day for the Merrillville community. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jonathon's family and friends."

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Homewood police and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are leading the investigation. They ask that anyone who knows anything to contact them.