• In November 2018, Jaylon McKenzie was featured in Sports Illustrated’s Future Issue alongside five other young athletes.
• The 14-year-old was a football prodigy who had been recruited by colleges in the 8th grade. He had ambitions of playing in the NFL.
• On Saturday night, he was shot and killed when a stray bullet hit him at a party, according to police.
• Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more stories.

In November 2018, Jaylon McKenzie, a 14-year-old from Belleville, Illinois, was featured in Sports Illustrated’s Future Issue as one of “Six Teens Who Will Rule the Future in Sports.” In it, the 8th-grade student spoke of his aspirations to play for the NFL one day.

McKenzie told the magazine that by 2030, his dream was “To be a star in L.A.-for the Rams or the Chargers.”

Before he even began high school, colleges had begun to recruit him for their programs,KMOV reported. In August, he played in the NFL’s 8th Grade All-American Game in Canton, Ohio.

But on Saturday night, McKenzie’s future was cut short when he was shot and killed at a party, CNN reported.

In a press release, the Illinois State Police said several law enforcement agencies responded to a report of a disturbance and shots fired at “a large party” in Venice, Illinois, at 11:40 p.m.

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When law enforcement arrived, they found that two people had been shot, Mckenzie and a 15-year-old girl, who has not been identified at this time, according to the press release. Officers “began life-saving measures” before the victims were transported to local hospitals.

According to the release, McKenzie died shortly after arriving at the hospital. The 15-year-old girl remains in critical condition.

No other individuals are believed to have been injured, and the incident remains under investigation, police said.

McKenzie’s mother, Sukeena Gunner, told CNN her son was attempting to leave the party when a fight erupted. According to Gunner, that’s when a stray bullet hit the 14-year-old boy.

“It’s very hard,” she told CNN of her son’s death. “It’s still like a bad dream, like I’m gonna wake up in the morning and my baby’s gonna be smiling at me asking for something to eat like he always does.”

East St. Louis School District 189, where McKenzie attended school, said in a statement on Sunday that “a few of our students were shot at a house party.”

“Our youth, families and school staff have dealt with a number of tragedies and incidents of violence this year,” the statement said. “We request space and time for them to appropriately grieve and come to terms with this latest impact of violence.”

The statement said crisis teams will be present at the school to offer counseling services to students and staff following the shooting.

“We send our prayers to the families impacted by this violence and hope for healing for the victims,” the statement said.

McKenzie’s father, Otis Gunner, told KMOV that his son had a passion for football since his early childhood and was looking forward to the upcoming season in the fall – what would have been his first with East St. Louis High School.

“Since he was a baby that’s what he wanted to do,” Gunner told the local CBS affiliate. “He didn’t get the chance to put on that blue and orange jersey but that’s what he wanted to do.”

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