Teens Charged With School Break-In

Two teenage boys were charged with burglary for breaking into a Pilsen neighborhood elementary school where a Chicago Police officer shot one teen after he pointed a weapon at officers, police said.

One teen, 13, was charged with burglary, and a second teen, 14, was charged with burglary and aggravated assault, according to police. Both offenders are scheduled to appear in juvenile court on June 16.

Police said that about 4:30 a.m. officers responded to a burglar alarm that activated at the Whittier Elementary School, 1900 W. 23rd St. When officers got inside the school they discovered a 14-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy.

The older boy allegedly pointed a weapon -- possibly a shotgun -- at officers, one of whom then shot at him and struck him in the leg. The 14-year-old did not fire his weapon and the 13-year-old did not have a weapon, police said.

Both boys fled the school after the shooting, but police were able to find the younger boy who told officers where the older one lived. The older boy was then arrested near the intersection of West Cullerton Street and South Damen Avenue while he may have been attempting to get to a hospital in a vehicle driven by someone else, police said.

The 14-year-old was transported to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in an unidentified condition, police said.

It was not immediately known why they allegedly entered the school, but police said it did not appear that anything was taken from the building. The weapon was recovered.

No summer classes were scheduled at the school, and any other community programs scheduled there today will be cancelled, said Monique Bond, Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman.

"We will rely on the Independent Police Review Authority to conduct its investigation," Bond said in an email. "CPS Safety and Security is also investigating."

Mark Payne, a spokesman for the Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates all shootings involving Chicago Police officers, confirmed that a male was shot by police and that their agency is investigating.