Girl, 15, killed by stray bullet while inside suburban Chicago home
ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. (CBS) — A 15-year-old girl was killed after she was hit by a stray bullet while inside a home in north suburban Round Lake Beach Wednesday night.
Round Lake Beach police say just after 9 p.m., officers responded to a home in the 1500 block of Cherokee Drive for a report of a person injured. Officers found the girl inside the home who had been shot.
Police said someone from outside fired a gun near the home. A stray bullet entered the victim's home and struck the victim.
She was taken to an area hospital, where she died. She has been identified as 15-year-old Valeria Rodriguez, of Round Lake Beach, according to the Lake County Coroner's office. An autopsy determined she died of a gunshot wound to the torso.
Police said Rodriguez did not appear to be the intended target. The girl's father told CBS News Chicago that she was sitting in the kitchen when she was shot.
A neighbor who asked not to be identified said Rodriguez recently celebrated her quinceañera at the home.
"It could have been anybody, or they were just messing around or just picked a random target," the neighbor said. "It's kind of scary to think, you know, right next to my house. My kids' windows are right there."
The Lake County Major Crime Task Force assisted Round Lake Beach police in the investigation, which remained ongoing as of Thursday. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Round Lake Beach police at 847-546-2127.
