Teen charged in fatal shooting of 2-year-old Illinois boy

DECATUR, Ill. – A 17-year-old has been charged in the fatal shooting of a 2-year-old Illinois boy.

The Herald & Review reports police found an injured child Saturday morning at a home in Decatur, 120 miles (193 kilometres) south of Chicago. The boy was pronounced dead later at a local hospital.

Macon County Coroner Michel Day said Sunday that Justin Lee Murphy Jr. died from a gunshot wound to the torso.

Police questioned the 17-year-old Saturday. Sgt. Steven Carroll later said he had been arrested “for his role in the death of the 2-year-old.”

Police haven’t said how the shooting occurred or released the teen’s name.

He is being held in the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center on charges of homicide, aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm.

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Information from: Herald & Review, http://www.herald-review.com