8-year-old girl killed, 10 others injured in Saturday night Southwest Side mass shooting
An 8-year-old girl was killed and ten others were injured in a shooting Saturday evening in Chicago’s New City neighborhood, police said Sunday.
Chicago Police Department officers responded to West 52nd Street and South Damen Avenue after an alert on ShotSpotter, a network of sensors that reports gunshot noises, detected shots fired around 9:18 p.m. Three children were injured and three people remain in critical condition, police said.
Police said the victims were outside of a family gathering at the time of the shooting. A witness reported that a vehicle approached the group and fired shots into the crowd before driving away, according to authorities.
A 1-year-old boy and an 8-year-old boy were both shot multiple times in the abdomen and remain in critical condition. A 9-year-old boy was also grazed by a bullet on his pinky finger, and the 8-year-old girl died after being transported to a nearby hospital from a gunshot wound to the head, according to police.
Eight adults were also injured in the shooting, ranging from the ages of 19 to 40. Police said Sunday that Area One detectives are investigating the incident, though no one is in custody.
At a news briefing at the scene, Deputy Chief Don Jerome said the shooting was likely an act of gang-related violence.
“The offenders’ actions, make no mistake, are horrific and unacceptable in our city,” Jerome said.