A grim saga unfolds in Chicago as detectives are left grasping at straws following the harrowing shooting of a 9-month-old girl, who now fights for her life. The infant was shot in the head in the parking lot of a Washington Park neighborhood McDonald's. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the shooting occurred on Tuesday night as the child was left in a vehicle while her mother stepped into the fast-food joint at 70 E. Garfield Blvd.
After the fray, police released the person of interest, who was previously nabbed for questioning, without slapping any charges on them. Initially, the woman reportedly noticed blood coming from her child's nose upon returning to the car but dismissed it as a symptom of the child's cold, only to later discover her baby was bleeding "profusely," as stated in a police report. It's in these disquieting moments that the mother's ordeal turned into a frenzied dash to Comer Children's Hospital, only to see the establishment go into a curious "lockdown." CBS Chicago painted a picture of confusion over the timing of police notification about the shooting, with dispatch audio hinting at a delay in the report to the authorities.
Details of the incident remain scant, as noted by CBS Chicago, with little clarity around who might hold a culpable hand in the tragic event. Community activist Andrew Holmes, who advocates for the safety of children from gun accidents by distributing gun locks, visited the hospital to see the baby. "This baby is fighting for her life - may or may not make it," he told CBS Chicago, underscoring the critical condition of the child and the severity of the circumstances.
As the person of interest walks free for now and the detectives doggedly continue their investigation, Andrew Holmes voices the collective angst and desperate need for accountability: "Every shooting should be alarming—but a 9-month-old child."
