In an unsettling outbreak of violence on the city's transit system, a 13-year-old boy was caught in the crossfire and seriously wounded during a shootout between two masked individuals on a CTA Red Line train; the confrontation occurred Wednesday night in the Fuller Park neighborhood on the South Side. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the incident took place near the Garfield Station at around 8:30 p.m., with CTA video capturing one assailant firing inside the train, followed by another masked gunman emerging and shooting back at the first. During this chaotic incident, the young victim was shot.
The boy, who was reportedly standing near the train's exit, was struck by gunfire in the buttocks and subsequently taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, sustaining serious injuries from the ordeal, and no arrests have been made as this marked the fourth similar incident on the Red Line this year the CBS News Chicago reports. Preliminary police reports describe the second shooter taking cover behind a column before re-entering the train, indicating a chaotic scene that unfolded in a public space meant for safe passage.
On-site investigation by Area 1 detectives led to the recovery of several shell casings, a fired bullet, and blood traces both inside a train car and on the platform. Meanwhile, services on the Red Line were temporarily suspended between the 47th and 63rd streets police combed through the area for evidence. Shuttle buses were provided to assist disrupted travelers.
The Chicago Police Department has yet to disclose further details surrounding the circumstances that led up to the shooting, what motives might have been, and the identities of the individuals involved.
