An 11-year-old boy walking home from a park in Englewood was the unintended victim of a drive-by shooting on Tuesday afternoon, according to Chicago police. The shooting occurred around 4:40 p.m. on the 7100 block of South Union Avenue. The boy was with a group that included other children and two older adults when they heard gunshots and saw a red SUV with tinted windows speeding away, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
After being struck in the upper right shoulder, the boy and his companions sought to quickly find safety under a nearby porch. This response highlighted the all-too-common reflexes honed in neighborhoods tormented by gun violence. The boy's father was called by the woman with the group, and police, responding to the shots fired, were able to apply a tourniquet before paramedics transported the child to Comer Children's Hospital. He was reported to be in good condition, the Sun-Times notes.
Meanwhile, Ald. William Hall, representative of the 6th Ward, told ABC7 Chicago that the young boy was not the intended target and was hit by a stray bullet. This incident adds to the series of unfortunate events where innocent bystanders find themselves in the crossfire of Chicago's pervasive gun violence.
The perpetrator of the crime remains at large as no arrests have yet been made. Area detectives are investigating the circumstances around the shooting, and the public awaits updates on this senseless act of violence.
