Records: 16-year-old pointed loaded gun at Marengo officer before being shot

WOODSTOCK – Before being shot by a veteran Marengo police officer last month, a 16-year-old boy pointed a loaded gun at the officer and told him he didn’t want to go back to jail, according to the most detailed account from police yet.

Members of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the McHenry County Investigative Assistance Team are reviewing the officer-involved shooting that happened in the driveway at 709 E. Prairie St. in Marengo.

Police responded to a report of “suspicious activity” just after 11 p.m. May 13 in the area of the home before the shooting occurred.

About 11:14 p.m., Marengo police officer Jerry Rzotkiewicz found a 16-year-old boy. The teenager pointed a gun at Rzotkiewicz, who told him repeatedly to drop the weapon, according to police reports contained in a search warrant.

The teenager said “I will not go back to jail” and “I will shoot you” to the officer while he pointed the gun at him, the search warrant said.

About a minute later, Rzotkiewicz fired his gun and struck the teenager with one round. A 911 radio dispatch from the Marengo Rescue Squad that evening reported that the teen had been shot in the abdomen.

The Northwest Herald hasn’t been able to independently confirm where the 16-year-old was shot.

McHenry County Sheriff’s Detective Michelle Asplund filed a search warrant May 18, just days after the incident, in connection with the investigation.

The search warrant, granted by Judge Mary Nader, allows investigators to go through the teen’s phone to determine whether there were any files that could be pertinent to their investigation regarding any criminal activity before or after police responded to the scene, according to the court document.

A black LG cellphone belonging to the teen was recovered at the scene, according to the search warrant. A loaded handgun believed to have been the one the juvenile was pointing at the officer also was found at the scene, Marengo Police Chief Richard Solarz has said.

The search warrant also refers to a firearm that was in the possession of the teenager and seized by police. It doesn’t say what kind of gun the teen had or where he got the weapon.

The 16-year-old was taken to Rockford Memorial Hospital to be treated for his injuries. Authorities previously said he was released from the hospital and has since been taken into custody on an unrelated juvenile warrant.

Rzotkiewicz was not injured and is on administrative leave – a normal department policy after an officer-involved shooting. He has been with the department for 10 years.

Solarz declined to comment Monday on anything related to the case until the investigation is completed and the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office has a chance to review the matter.

McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Aimee Knop said the investigation is ongoing and deferred all media inquiries to the Marengo Police Department.