Crime & Safety
8th Grade Illinois Football Prodigy Fatally Shot At Party
Jaylon McKenzie, who was featured in Sports Illustrated last year, was leaving a post-prom party when a fight broke out, police said.
CHICAGO, IL (CBS/CNN) — Jaylon McKenzie, a 14-year-old football star from Belleville, Illinois, already had scholarship offers from the University of Illinois and the University of Missouri, and dreamed of playing in the NFL, but those dreams were shattered this weekend, when he was shot and killed at a party near St. Louis.
The 8th grader was hit by stray gunfire Saturday night in Venice, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. He was leaving a post-prom party after a fight broke out. Police said they found Jaylon and a 15-year-old girl with serious wounds. Jaylon later died at the hospital. The girl is in critical condition.
