CPD says teen shot himself in head during chase, but people at scene dispute that

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - 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 Keelerc.

They questioned the boy; he ran away and, police say, eventually shot himself in the head. 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 by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. He lived in the same block where the shooting happened. An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause and manner of death.

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