An eight-year-old girl was killed in a mass shooting on Chicago’s South Side that injured 10 others, including a baby.
Chicago police officers responded to the violent incident in the 2000 block of West 52nd Street in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood around 9:15 p.m. Saturday.
Police said a family had gathered for a birthday party when gunmen opened fire with assault rifles and handguns.
An eight-year-old girl died after being shot in the head, while a one-year-old boy and an eight-year-old boy were each shot multiple times and listed in critical condition.
A nine-year-old boy was also injured with an abrasion to his finger. He was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, police said.
“This was not a random act of violence. It was probably gang related,” said Department Deputy Chief Don Jerome. “The actions of the perpetrators are, make no mistake, heinous and unacceptable in our city.”
Chicago police officers responded to the violent incident in the 2000 block of West 52nd Street in Back of the Yards on Saturday around 9:15 p.m.
An eight-year-old girl was killed and ten others were injured. A one-year-old boy and an eight-year-old boy were each shot multiple times and left in critical condition
Police said at least seven others, ranging in age from 19 to 38, were also injured in the shooting
As of Sunday, the little girl has still not been identified and police are searching for two suspects. No one was taken into custody.
Police said at least seven others, ranging in age from 19 to 38, were also injured in the shooting.
One of the victims, a 36-year-old man, was shot in the arms and back and was in critical condition.
“The Back of the Yards community is united in our grief, our prayers and the collective spirit that we must continue to stand against these senseless acts of physical violence,” said Councilwoman Stephanie Coleman of the 16th Ward, where the shooting occurred.
“Violence is a citywide problem that continues to mischaracterize the true essence and intrinsic nature of our neighborhoods. This tragedy has left us all heartbroken and saddened.”
“I would like to send my sincere condolences to the family of this precious gem and my prayers for anyone who is injured,” Coleman added.
Police said witnesses saw a black sedan approaching at the time of the shooting and someone fired shots into the crowd before fleeing.
Pastor Donovan Price shared WGN9: ‘All I can say right now is: I’m going to pray, you pray, and God help us.’
Department Chief Don Jerome (center) said Chicago police are investigating the shooting, which was “likely gang related.”
Police said witnesses saw a black sedan approaching at the time of the shooting and someone fired shots into the crowd before fleeing
One of the victims, a 36-year-old man, was shot in the arms and back and was in critical condition
The shooting is under investigation by Chicago police as Jerome said witness accounts described two possible gunmen on foot.
According to statistics from the Sun timesAt least 120 children under the age of 16 have been shot to death in Chicago since 2018.
In 2024, there were 36 shooting incidents in the city, according to the newspaper facts of the Chicago Police Department. That percentage is three percent higher than in 2023.
Chicago’s Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson has not yet made a statement about the shooting.
He previously made a statement about Dexter Reed, 26, who was killed following a traffic stop in Humboldt Park after police pulled him over for allegedly not wearing a seat belt.
Johnson told a news conference he was “devastated” to hear that another young black man had been killed by police, but insisted he could have mourned the loss of another black life if the officer who was hit had been killed.
Chicago’s Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson has not yet made a statement about the shooting
Heartbreaking bodycam footage shows the moment Reed ‘opened fire on police’ before police shot him more than 90 times.
Mayor Johnson promised a full investigation and added that Tuesday’s release was part of an effort to be more transparent.
“Attempts to withhold or delay information are mistakes of the past,” he said at a news conference with COPA and the Cook County Prosecutor’s Office.
“As a mayor and as a father raising a family including two Black boys on Chicago’s West Side, I am personally devastated to see yet another young Black man lose his life during an interaction with police.”