Teen charged with attempted murder in shooting of trick-or-treating 7-year-old
A 15-year-old boy is facing attempted murder charges in the shooting that critically wounded a 7-year-old girl who was trick-ortreating Thursday in Little Village.
The boy was charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, Chicago police said.
Investigators were still looking to identify others who may have been involved, CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
The girl was trick-or-treating with her family about 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the 3700 block of West 26th Street when at least two people walked up to another group and opened fire, police said.
The girl was shot in a nearby alley and was rushed to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, police said. She was expected to be transferred to Comer Medical Center.
A police source said the girl and her family live nearby and she attends school in the neighborhood.
A 30-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to his hand, police said. He was stabilized at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Police said the man and girl were not together and have no relationship, and the wounded man was the intended target.
Ian Martinez was handing out candy near a Metro PCS store on the corner of 26th Street and Lawndale Avenue when he heard the gunshots.
The girl was struck in a nearby alley and her father picked her up and took her inside the Metro PCS to wait for paramedics to arrive, Martinez said. She was wearing a red or purple bumblebee costume under her coat when he saw her inside the store laying on the ground.
“She was very pale,” Martinez said. “It’s very tragic. We were [expecting] that it was gonna be a fun day. Things like this are not allowed. They should do more police inspections around this area.”
In a statement issued Friday afternoon, the girl’s family said they are “grateful for the outpouring of love and support shown by all of Chicago and the nation. [The 7-year-old] remains in serious condition. At this time, the family is requesting privacy.”