Police: 8-year-old Illinois boy accidentally shot to death

KANKAKEE, Ill. – Police say an 8-year-old boy was shot to death in what was apparently a terrible accident in a northern Illinois city.

Kankakee Police said in a news release that officers were called to a residence at about 1 p.m. Sunday to discover Jeremiah Wilson, Jr. had been shot. The boy was taken to Riverside Medical Center where the Kankakee County Coroner pronounced him dead.

Police say they are interviewing witnesses and family members, but that it appears the shooting was accidental. Police would not say if they believe the boy shot himself or was shot by someone else.

Kankakee is located 60 miles (100 kilometres) south of Chicago.