Boy, 17, Shot Dead In Melrose Park
Updated 04/1/11 - 11:12 a.m.
MELROSE PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- A 17-year-old boy is dead, following an apparent gang shooting in Melrose Park.
The shooting happened around 6:10 p.m. Thursday, as the victim, Jimmy Guzman, reportedly walked with his girlfriend in Sharp Park, 1609 N. 36th Ave.
The girlfriend was confronted by two other girls, who had been involved in an ongoing feud, Melrose Park police said.
When the three girls began fighting, a 16-year-old boy came up and shot Guzman several times, police said.
"He point blank shot him,'' said Melrose Park police Chief Sam Pitassi.
Guzman, 17, of the 1600 block of North Mannheim Road in Stone Park, was dead on the scene, according to a the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
Police said the victim and the suspect are affiliated with rival gangs from the surrounding towns, and none of the people involved are Melrose Park residents.
The girls are classmates at Proviso West High School in Hillside, and the fight started there, according to the chief, who did not know what it was about, or if the girls are affiliated with a gang.
The suspect was identified and arrested in Berwyn, according to police, who said charges are pending. Once charged, the suspect is scheduled to appear for a bond hearing Saturday at the Maybrook Courthouse in Maywood, police said.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
