A 4-year-old girl barely escaped with her life after catching a stray bullet in the head during a brazen daylight shootout in Zion, officials said. The child was caught in the crossfire as two groups squared off in a residential area on Saturday afternoon, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Police rushed to the scene in the 2200 block of Galilee Avenue at 2:17 p.m. to find the young victim with a grazed skull, but still alert. The child, whose identity has not been disclosed, received treatment and was then released from the hospital on the same day. Zion authorities have now seemed to quickly detain a teenager in connection to the incident—a 17-year-old who is facing charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm, as reported by the FOX 32 Chicago News.
"Numerous people in the area with varying degrees of involvement" were present during the gunfire, the Zion Police Department stated, as echoed by the Chicago Tribune. The young girl's father desperately sought help from authorities, claiming his daughter had been injured in the shootout.
Investigations revealed that the two groups exchanged fire without regard to the safety of those nearby, causing not only injury to the innocent young bystander but also damage to several vehicles and buildings, police said. The apprehended teenager was subsequently transported to the county juvenile facility. The authorities are still tirelessly attempting to locate other assailants involved in the shootout.
