A 16-year-old boy is fighting for his life after he was shot multiple times on Chicago’s South Side just after 7 p.m. Saturday, according to police. The gunfire erupted in the 7000 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, a short distance from the city’s Third District police station. Officers at the scene reported that the shooter was unknown, and the teen was rushed in critical condition to a nearby trauma center. Detectives opened an investigation, and no arrests had been announced as of late Saturday night.
Police told WGN‑TV the victim was struck several times and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition. WGN‑TV reported that Area One detectives responded to the 7000 block of South Cottage Grove to sort out what led up to the shooting. As of the initial account, officials had not released a description of the shooter or a possible motive.
Pattern Along Cottage Grove
The same stretch of Cottage Grove Avenue has been hit by repeated gun violence in recent months, including incidents involving children and teens. In March, a drive-by shooting left a 13-year-old girl critically injured along the corridor, as detailed in 13‑year‑old girl critically injured. Neighbors and community groups have been pushing for more police patrols and expanded violence-interrupter programs as summer approaches, worried that the cycle could worsen when the weather warms up.
Hospital And Response
The University of Chicago Medical Center, the South Side’s primary trauma hub, lists its main campus at 5841 South Maryland Avenue and routinely treats the area’s most severe shooting victims. Area One detectives canvassed the block where the teen was shot and asked anyone with information to contact Chicago police, according to WGN‑TV. At the time of publication, investigators had not released additional details about a suspect or a possible motive.
Public reporting on the shooting remained sparse early Sunday, based largely on initial police statements and the WGN‑TV coverage. We did not find a Chicago Police Department press release or further independent accounts at the time this article was published. The investigation is ongoing, and police are again urging anyone with information to contact Area One detectives.
