A 16-year-old boy is facing multiple felony charges as an adult in connection with a shooting that wounded two teens in suburban Palatine on Friday, according to police.
Diego Garcia-Cordero, of Palatine, was charged with three counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, Palatine police said Saturday in a release.
The shooting occurred just before 11 a.m. on Friday, officials said, prompting the soft lockdown of several nearby schools in Districts 15 and 211.
Officers responded to the 1100 block of Randville Drive, according to police, where they discovered two teenage boys with gunshot wounds to the legs.
Both were taken to area hospitals where they were listed in stable condition, authorities said.
Witnesses said they heard several distinct shots followed by intense screaming.
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“It wasn't a pop, pop, pop; it was bam bam,” said Jurhee Young, who captured the chaotic scene on cell phone video. “And I heard kids screaming, yelling,” she added.
Several area residents ran outside to help the victims.
“They were high school kids,” said Saleha Masood, who lives near the scene of the shooting, and can be seen on video applying pressure to one victim’s leg to help slow the bleeding. [[422119893, C]]
“One kid was shaking and losing a lot of blood,” Masood said. “His leg was almost in two pieces.”
Masood said one victim was shot three times in one leg, while the other victim had been shot once.
“We asked them, you know, ‘What happened? Who did it? Did you have a fight?’ [and] they said they didn’t see anybody,” Masood said.
Based on the investigation, police said the shooting appeared to be an isolated, gang-related incident.
Garcia-Cordero was transferred to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center Saturday as he awaits a bond hearing, authorities said.
