Jaylon McKenzie, an 8th-grade football phenom who was already fielding gives from faculties, became shot to demise outside of a party over the weekend, police stated.
The 14-year-old growing big name changed into attending a celebration close to his homeland in southern Illinois on Saturday when he becomes struck by means of stray gunfire, authorities said Sunday.
Police said they acquired calls approximately a disturbance and photographs fired at a “massive party” in Venice, Illinois, close to the Missouri border, around 11:40 p.M., according to the Illinois State Police.
Officers arrived at the scene to locate that Jaylon and any other teen, a fifteen-12 months-old girl, had sustained gunshot wounds, police stated.
They have been each transported to a local health center, where Jaylon died a quick time later. The different sufferer became in vital circumstance as of Sunday afternoon.
Witnesses said the teens had been seeking to get away the chaos inside while the pictures rang out. The tragic information came at the heels of Jaylon’s massive second in Sports Illustrated, which currently featured him as certainly one of six young athletes who could rule the destiny of sports activities.
Officials with Jaylon’s school district confirmed a number of their students had been shot at a house birthday party in Venice past due Saturday.
“Few information are clean at this factor. We do recognize that our youth, families and faculty body of workers have dealt with a number of tragedies and incidents of violence this yr,” East St. Louis School District 189 said in an assertion Sunday. “We request area and time for them to as it should be grieving and come to phrases with this today’s impact of violence.”
The district said it would have disaster teams on web site inside the coming days to help students cope with the tragic news.
“We ship our prayers to the families impacted by means of this violence and desire for healing for the victims,” the statement stated.
No arrests have been made as of past due Sunday. Anyone who witnessed the shooting was requested to call Illinois State Police Investigations Case Agent Scott Wobbe at 618-381-1467.
Jaylon and his mother, Sukeena Gunner, currently introduced thru social media that the young athlete had acquired college gives from the University of Missouri and the University of Illinois in advance this yr. He said his dream become to “make the NFL” and play for the Los Angeles Rams or Chargers.
“An 8th-grader at Central Junior High, Jaylon—who performs jogging returned, receiver and defensive back—drew national attention when he stuck 5 passes for 161 yards and touchdowns to assist the East group to a victory at the NFL’s 8th Grade All-American Game in Canton, Ohio, in August,” Sports Illustrated wrote in its “Six Teens Who Will Rule the Future in Sports” article in November. “Last yr, Jaylon rushed for 1,546 yards and 21 TDs for his young people soccer group, the East St. Louis Jr. Flyers.”
“He hopes to observe within the footsteps of Titans cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, a star at USC, who’s additionally from the St. Louis suburb of Belleville and also played both methods,” the object persisted.
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