A Kishwaukee Community College student was shot in the buttocks during an early Sunday morning brawl at a West Lincoln Highway apartment as the string of area gun-related incidents continued, DeKalb Police said.

Maurice Hawks, 20, 1315 W. Lincoln Hwy., was hit by a bullet that came through his closed front door, DeKalb Police Lt. Dick Moudy said.

He refused to comment on whether the incident was gang-related.

Apparently, there was a party at the apartment that night, Moudy said. After an earlier fight injured another man, several of the party-goers were asked to leave, Moudy said.

“About 45 or 50 minutes later, some of them came back with some other friends, about six or seven people, and there was another fight,” he said. This fight happened outside the apartment, Moudy said.

“Shortly thereafter, the people involved went inside. There were gunshots fired from outside through the front door,” he said.

Police determined at least one shot was fired from inside the apartment. “We know from the door damage,” Moudy said.

Hawks was hit in the lower left buttock. He was treated at Kishwaukee Community Hospital and released.

Although there have been several recent DeKalb incidents involving sawed-off shotguns, Moudy said he was “pretty sure” the weapon involved was a handgun. Police have not determined the caliber, Moudy said.

Moudy said that he doesn’t think the number of DeKalb gun injuries is on the rise. But “guns seem to be more readily available, and a number of them are being brought into the city from outside. More guns are being displayed, and we have had some incidents were guns were indiscriminately fired in the air,” he said.

The incident is under investigation.