A 17-year-old boy was shot in the chest during a toilet-papering prank that went sideways near Byrum Road and Hel Mar Lane in unincorporated Joliet, Illinois, late Friday night. Witnesses say at least three people approached from the north, while what appeared to be lasers were pointed toward the group, before opening fire as the group scrambled back into their vehicle, and the teen was rushed to a hospital as a precaution.
According to the Shaw Local News, the shooting happened around 9:50 p.m. Friday and involved two separate groups of juveniles who had converged on the same intersection to toilet-paper homes. The Will County Sheriff's Office told ABC7 Chicago that deputies responded to Byrum Road and Hel Mar Lane just before 10 p.m., and investigators believe a teenager was shot with a high-power air rifle during the prank in the south suburbs.
ABC7's reporting lays out how the night unfolded in two distinct chapters. The first group of juveniles arrived to toilet-paper a house on Hel Mar Lane, and the home's residents confronted them, touching off an altercation; the juveniles' vehicle was damaged as they fled the scene. A second, unrelated group then parked at the same intersection to target another home, and that's when at least three people approached from the north, while what appeared to be lasers were pointed toward the group.
Chest Injury, Trauma Transfer, No Suspects Named
The 17-year-old was hit as his group retreated into its vehicle, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries to his chest area, per the sheriff's office account relayed by ABC7. He was taken to Loyola Hospital as a precaution. Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood is verified by the American College of Surgeons as Illinois's only standalone Level I Trauma Center, according to Loyola Medicine, making it a major referral hospital for complex trauma cases across northeastern Illinois.
The sheriff's office said all evidence points to high-power air rifles being used in the shooting, and no charges have been filed as the investigation continues. Sheriff Mike Kelley reminded the public that toilet-papering homes and businesses can turn violent and dangerous. It remains unknown who the three individuals with laser sights were or exactly where they came from, and the sheriff's office has not identified any suspects in either the initial altercation or the shooting.
When Does an Air Rifle Become a Firearm Under Illinois Law
Whether the shooters ultimately face felony charges may hinge on the specific air rifle used. Under the Illinois Firearm Owners Identification Card Act, air rifles are legally classified and regulated as firearms if they expel projectiles exceeding .18 caliber or reach muzzle velocities of 700 feet per second or higher, per the Illinois General Assembly. Air rifles above those thresholds require a FOID card and fall under the same statutes governing conventional guns.
Separately, Illinois Criminal Code 720 ILCS 5/24.8 addresses discharging an air rifle from or across a public street, sidewalk, highway, or public land, according to the Illinois General Assembly. Firing a weapon in a manner that endangers someone else's safety can also be prosecuted in Illinois as reckless discharge of a firearm, a Class 4 felony carrying up to three years in prison and $25,000 in fines, per the C. Norris Law Group, and that charge does not require proof of intent to injure.
A Seasonal Prank With Real Legal Risk
The confrontation over the toilet-papered house also carries its own legal exposure. While TPing is often treated as harmless mischief, LegalMatch notes that law enforcement agencies routinely charge participants with criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, littering, or criminal damage to property, and that damage exceeding statutory limits can elevate the offense to a felony. That risk isn't hypothetical in Will County this fall — the Plainfield Police Department reported confiscating 650 rolls of toilet paper from juveniles during homecoming week after receiving double-digit complaints about prank vandalism, according to Shaw Local. Plainfield sits roughly 10 miles north of Joliet in the same county.
The danger of these late-night pranks escalating isn't limited to Illinois. A toilet-papering prank in Gainesville, Georgia, this past March ended in tragedy when a 40-year-old high school teacher was struck and killed by a vehicle while confronting teenagers in his yard, leading to felony vehicular homicide charges against an 18-year-old driver, as Hoodline reported at the time. National injury data adds further context: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that non-powder firearms cause tens of thousands of emergency department visits annually across the country, with minors accounting for the vast majority of those injured. Air guns can also cause injuries.
Sheriff Kelley, who has led the Will County Sheriff's Office since 2014 and was previously named Sheriff of the Year by the Illinois State Crime Commission, is the county sheriff. The Will County Sheriff's Office says the investigation remains ongoing, and no charges have been filed against anyone involved in either the initial altercation or the shooting.
