Teen's Shooting In Apartment Complex An 'Isolated Incident': Cops

JUSTICE, IL — Justice police are calling the shooting earlier this week of a 15-year-old girl in the hallway of an apartment building in the Willow Hill Apartments an isolated incident. Police do not have anyone in custody.

Suri Davis, a sophomore at Argo Community High School, had just stepped off the school bus around 3:30 p.m. Monday. Davis checked in on the phone with her mother, who was at work. The teen told her mother she was going upstairs to their apartment. Davis was found dead several hours later in the hallway, with a gunshot wound to the face.

“We’ve been investigating non-stop,” said Sgt. Fred Schuerg, of the Justice Police Department. “We know it’s not a random incident. We believe she knew the person, Our investigators have good leads, but it’s going to take some time.”

>>>> 15-Year-Old Justice Girl Gunned Down In Apartment Building

A resident, who spoke to Patch on a condition of anonymity because of fears of retaliation, described the apartment complex at 87th Street and 88th Avenue as a melting pot of ages and ethnicities. The 800-plus unit complex is well appointed with amenities, such as two swimming pools, a playground and a fitness center.

“I’ve lived here for eleven years and nothing like this has ever happened before,” the resident said. “I was shocked, terrified. I’m scared because my son is always at the building [where the shooting occurred] and it freaked me out.”

Residents use fobs to enter the buildings and ring in visitors, but security doors are often broken.

“People yank on them,” the resident said. “Anyone can walk in off the street.”

Schuerg said police have combed the Willow Hill apartment complex, as well as neighboring apartment complexes. On Wednesday, the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force dredged the man-made lake in the Sunset Lake Apartments for evidence and searched the area with drones. Police also brought in a bloodhound. The police sergeant would not comment if detectives found a weapon or other evidence in the lake, calling the search typical of a homicide investigation. It has also been difficult to get people to come forward with information.

“We’ll turn every rock and dumpster over for a 15-year-old girl who didn’t need to lose her life,” the police sergeant said.

Anyone with information about the shooting of 15-year-old Suri Davis is asked to call the Justice Police Department at 708- 458-2192 or 911.