8 children, ages 8 to 16, wounded in 5 city shootings
3 of them accidental, teenage boy in custody, all in span of 24 hours
At least eight children were wounded in five separate shootings in less than 24 hours on Friday and Saturday during a long weekend in Chicago, police said.
Police officials said three of the shootings were accidental, prompting a warning for parents to take precautions when they have weapons in the home.
“We’ve seen time after time how dangerous it is,” said Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
About 10:20 p.m. Friday, an 8-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl were accidentally shot by a juvenile male relative at a residence in the Bronzeville neighborhood. The relative was playing with a weapon inside the home in the 4700 block of South Forrestville Avenue. The boy was shot in the shoulder, and the girl suffered a graze wound to the arm. Both were taken in fair condition to Comer Children’s Hospital.
Guglielmi said the gun was secured in a lockbox, but the child who caused the gun to discharge found the key and took the gun to another house. The family was cooperative, and charges are unlikely, he said.
Earlier, about 8 p.m. on the West Side, a 7-year-old girl gained access to a weapon, and it discharged, striking an 11-year-old boy in the neck. The shooting happened in the 3100 block of West Fillmore Street in the Lawndale neighborhood.
The boy was taken in serious condition to Stroger Hospital.
In that case, family members told investigators that the weapon was in a locked room, according to Guglielmi. They said the key to the room was hidden, but the child was able to find the key.
About 12:15 p.m. Saturday, a 14-year-old girl was with a 15year-old boy who was handling a weapon when it discharged, striking the girl in the cheek in the 2400 block of South Troy Street in the Little Village neighborhood, police said.
She was taken in fair condition to Stroger Hospital, and the boy was taken into custody.
Police said the shooting was accidental but were investigating to determine the circumstances leading up to it.
Guglielmi cautioned parents to lock away guns when they are in the home with young children, though he noted the parents in two of the cases appeared to have tried to do so. He also said people should take steps to educate themselves on how guns work, including taking classes.
“It’s important to train people about how dangerous weapons can be,” he said.
A South Side shooting that was not accidental wounded three more girls — two of them 14 and the other 15 — as well as three adults on Friday night, according to police.
They were shot shortly after 9 p.m. at the Parkway Gardens apartment complex in the 6500 block of South King Drive when what appeared to be a Valentine’s Day celebration spilled into the hallway.
A 20-year-old man was shot in the face, chest and arm, and was taken in serious condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center. An 18-year-old man, who was shot multiple times in the leg, went to the same hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. The 15-year-old girl, who suffered wounds to a leg and a foot, was also being treated there.
The 14-year-old girl was in good condition with a wound to the leg at Stroger Hospital. The other 14-year-old girl was shot in the back, shoulder, leg and lower backside. She was in critical condition at Comer Children’s Hospital.
A 23-year-old woman was also critically injured after she was shot in the back, head, abdomen and shoulder, police said. She was taken to Stroger Hospital.
About 4:52 p.m. Saturday, a 16-year-old boy was walking in the 400 block of East 113th Street in the Roseland neighborhood when shots were fired from a vehicle, and he was struck in the left thigh, police said. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition, police said. Detectives were investigating.