Sterling teen charged with attempted first-degree murder, accused of shooting 2 teens

STERLING – A 17-year-old Sterling boy has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in connection with a July 23 shooting in Sterling that injured two teens.

The teen also has been charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm, Sterling Deputy Police Chief Pat Bartel announced Wednesday in a news release. The teen was arrested on a warrant Monday and is being held in a juvenile detention center pending a future court date, according to the release.

The shooting happened shortly before 6 p.m. July 23 in the area of 13th Avenue and East Fifth Street in Sterling. Responding officers found evidence of a shooting and two Sterling boys – one 14, the other 17 – suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers learned that the two injured teens were passengers in a vehicle that was fired upon, resulting in the vehicle colliding with a utility pole.

The occupants of the two vehicles – the one from where police say the gun was fired and the other carrying the injured boys – are known acquaintances, according to a Sterling Police Department news release issued shortly after the shooting.

The injured boys initially were taken to CGH Medical Center and then sent to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. The 14-year-old received medical treatment and was released. The injured 17-year-old remains hospitalized, police said.

Police said they obtained the arrest warrant after interviewing several witnesses, going over security camera footage and reviewing cellphone data.