Autopsy: Teen Died of Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound During Police Chase

A teenage boy was fatally wounded by a gunshot Friday evening during a police chase in Lawndale, officers said.

Chicago police say the chase started after officers saw the boy with a gun about 6:55 p.m. in the 1500 block of South Keeler.

They questioned the boy; he ran away and eventually shot himself in the head, police said. Paramedics took him in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The boy was identified as 16-year-old Steven Rosenthal according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. He lived in the same block where the shooting happened.

An autopsy Saturday afternoon found Rosenthal died of a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head, the medical examiner’s office said. His death was ruled a suicide.

Members of the community gathered at the scene and disputed the police narrative of the shooting as officers investigated.

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