Melanie Yates, 23, of Zion, died after being shot by a stray bullet fired from outside on Oct. 17 as she read a Bible story to her child inside her home, officials and her family said. - Original Credit: News-Sun (Calderon family / HANDOUT)

       Lake County authorities say a teenager has been charged with firing a stray bullet that killed his neighbor, a mother of two, last month in Zion.

       The Lake County Major Crime Task Force said Wednesday that a first-degree murder warrant has been issued for a 16-year-old boy in the death of Melanie Yates.

       The teen has been charged as an adult, police said. The judge who signed the arrest warrant set a $3 million bail in the case.

       The News-Sun is not publishing the suspect’s name because he is a juvenile.

       Yates, a 23-year-old wife and mother who was a registered nurse, was struck by a bullet on Oct. 17 while inside her home in the 2800 block of Enoch Avenue. She was reportedly reading a Bible story to her 7-month-old daughter when she was hit by gunfire from outside the house.

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       She died the following day.

       Police said the teen, who lived with his mother on the same block as the Yates family, exited his home, recklessly firing a rifle at someone on the street.

       A warrant was issued for his arrest within days of the shooting, but authorities have not been able to take him into custody.

       The youth is actively attempting to elude arrest and is likely in hiding somewhere in the area, Zion Police Lt. Christopher Sweeting said Wednesday. His family is aware of the warrant, Sweeting added.

       Sweeting said the teen lived with his mother at the residence, but said he could not discuss whether he had previous contacts with police, because those contacts would involve juvenile records, which cannot be released.

       Police said they were not sure whether the teen had been attending school before the shooting. A phone call to the Zion school district was not immediately returned.

       Sweeting said that police have not been able to identify the intended target in the shooting, so the motive remains unknown.

       Warrant issued for 16-year-old neighbor in stray-bullet killing of Zion mother while inside her home

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