IHSA track and field state competitor shot with BB gun
Photo Courtesy of Connor Artman
Connor Artman, a senior at Illini West High School who is competing in the Illinois High School Association Boys Track and Field State Finals, was shot twice with BB pellets Thursday while showering in Lawson Hall. He was taken to Sarah Bush Lincoln hospital after the incident. He said he was hit in the chest and forearm and suffered from two lacerations, but said he will still compete in Saturday’s finals.
May 25, 2018
Connor Artman, a senior at Illini West High School who is competing in the Illinois High School Association Boys Track and Field State Finals, was shot twice with BB pellets Thursday while showering in Lawson Hall.
He said he was hit in the chest and forearm and suffered from two lacerations, but said he will still compete in Saturday’s finals.
Artman qualified for the finals in the long jump, where he is the defending state champion, the triple jump, the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles.
Connor Artman, a senior at Illini West High School who is competing in the Illinois High School Association Boys Track and Field State Finals, was shot twice with BB pellets Thursday while showering in Lawson Hall. He was taken to Sarah Bush Lincoln hospital after the incident. He said he was hit in the chest and forearm and suffered from two lacerations, but said he will still compete in Saturday’s finals.
“I don’t know exactly what the motive was,” Artman said. “I was in the shower and I had just gotten in and someone leaned in and shot three times through the curtain.”
He said when it happened he was not afraid but rather was “pretty upset” and only wanted to find out who did it.
“They didn’t hit my legs so I knew I would be fine,” he said. “It all just gives me more motivation, I am ready to go out tomorrow and perform as best I can.”
Connor Artman, a senior at Illini West High School who is competing in the Illinois High School Association Boys Track and Field State Finals, was shot twice with BB pellets Thursday while showering in Lawson Hall. He was taken to Sarah Bush Lincoln hospital after the incident. He said he was hit in the chest and forearm and suffered from two lacerations, but said he will still compete in Saturday’s finals.
In a press release, the Eastern Police Department said the investigation is ongoing.
As for Artman, he said he is ready for Saturday’s final round, despite the incident.
“I have been training all year for this,” he said.
More information will be added to the story as soon as it becomes available.
Analicia Haynes can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].
