A homicide investigation is underway in Round Lake Beach after a 15-year-old girl was struck and killed by a stray bullet that flew inside her home, a release from the Lake County Major Crime Task Force said.
At 9 p.m. July 24, Round Lake Beach Police responded to a residence in the 1500 block of Cherokee Drive for a report of an injured person, the release said. When officers arrived, they found a 15-year-old inside with a gunshot wound.
A preliminary investigation revealed someone fired a gun outside and nearby the home, the release said, and a stray bullet from the gun entered the home and struck the teen.
The teen was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead, officials said. She has been identified by family members as Valeria Rodriguez.
According to investigators, the teen was not the intended target of the shooting.
"My friend came into the kitchen and sees her daughter bleeding. You never imagine that this is going to be happening inside your house," family friend Maria Garcia said.
Valeria had recently celebrated her quinceañera and was preparing to start her sophomore year of high school.
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An autopsy was scheduled, the release said, and officials were continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
No further information was available.
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