Teenage girl shot in the head 3 times; 14-year-old boy charged as an adult

RACINE — The 14-year-old boy who police say is responsible for the attempted homicide a 14-year-old girl Sunday after he shot her in the head is facing the next several decades in prison after being charged as an adult.

Elia Olson, of Racine, was charged Tuesday, Jan. 10, in Racine County Circuit Court with one felony count of first-degree attempted intentional homicide and one misdemeanor charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under the age of 18. If convicted, he faces up to 60 years in prison or $10,000 in fines.

The criminal complaint: call for a girl shot in the head

According to the criminal complaint, police were called shortly before noon Sunday, Jan. 8, to a home for a report of a girl shot in the head. When they arrived, the girl was coherent and talking despite her serious injuries. In the emergency room at Ascension Hospital, the girl identified Olson as her boyfriend and the person who shot her because she wanted to break off their relationship.

The girl told investigators she and Olson walked down the railroad tracks to smoke. When she told Olson she wanted to break up, he made her turn off her phone and tossed it aside. Then, he used a white revolver to shoot her in the head. According to the complaint, while the girl begged for her life, Olson shot her two more times in the head. The girl ran for help when Olson turned away to look for her phone.

She flagged down a motorist near 21st Street and Memorial Drive, and that person called 911 for the girl, the complaint continues. Doctors who examined the girl said she had three gunshot wounds to her head, the most serious of which was an entry wound at her left cheekbone where the bullet lodged in her neck dangerously close to her carotid artery. She was ultimately taken by Flight for Life to Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee.

Olson was apprehended at a friend’s house where a backpack was discovered with a .22 handgun and two magazines for a 9mm handgun. Bloody clothes and shoes were found at Olson’s home. According to the complaint, Olson admitted he shot the girl over both the breakup and posts on Snapchat. At the time Olson was arrested, the girl was in serious but stable condition.

Olson was assigned a $500,000 cash bond at his initial appearance and ordered to stay away from the girl, her home, and anyone associated with her. He will next be in court on Jan. 18 for his preliminary hearing.