8-Year-Old Chicago Girl Killed by Stray Bullet to the Head
The little girl was walking on the sidewalk with her mother when gunfire erupted.
Getty
An 8-year-old girl was fatally shot in Chicago on Saturday as she walked on a sidewalk with her mother.
Police say she and her mother were not the intended targets, according to local reports. The two were reportedly walking together in the Little Village neighborhood when they heard gunfire and rushed into a nearby bank for cover. It was there that the extent of the child’s injuries became clear. She was rushed to nearby Stroger Hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries. The girl’s mother was unharmed.
Angel Ocampo was in a funeral home nearby when the shooting broke out. He told ABC 7, “I just froze and just sat down. I didn’t know what happened. I just sat there. It really isn’t safe. There’s a lot of crime here supposedly and there’s a lot of shootings. This is like gang territory.”
A 26-year-old man who police believe was the intended target was also hit in the shooting spree. He was shot in the back as he was walking out of a store and now remains in critical condition at the hospital, authorities said.
The shooter is said to have stepped out of a car at the scene before unloading in the direction of the 26-year-old and then driving away.
Andrew Holmes, a community activist, told reporters gathered outside the hospital where the little girl was pronounced dead that she and her mother had recently moved to Chicago from Mexico, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. They were walking to Walgreen’s when the shots rang out.
“If it was gang related, then stand up as gangs and give up these individuals that discharge their weapon… why would you allow anyone to take a child’s life in the first place, just stand up,” Holmes said.
“Today’s an extremely sad day. I lived in my community of Little Village all my life, and it’s one of the saddest days I’ve ever experienced,” Ald. Michael Rodriguez of Chicago’s 22nd Ward was quoted as saying by NBC News.
Police have not taken anyone into custody in connection with the shooting, and no suspects have been identified. Investigators are reportedly hoping surveillance footage from local businesses will help them identify the gunman.
Cops found another 8-year-old hiding from the gunfire in the backseat of a nearby car. Though the windows were shot out, she was unscathed. According to ABC 7, five children were shot in the city on Tuesday of this week alone.
Their deaths comes on the heels of the shooting of an 11-month-old in New York City, though the baby was not the intended target. She remains in critical condition.
