Teen killed, another teen hurt in Chicago shooting in Woodlawn near high school, YMCA
A 16-year-old boy died and a 16-year-old girl was hurt in a shooting at a bus stop in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood near a high school and YMCA Wednesday afternoon.
Chicago police said shortly before 3:30 p.m. a 16-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl were at a bus stop in the 6300 block of South Stony Island Avenue when someone approached them, pulled out a gun and opened fire.
The 16-year-old boy was struck multiple times in the body and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. The 16-year-old girl was struck multiple times as well and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition.
The boy later died at the hospital, police said. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office identified the teen as Eric Billups.
A witness said he heard six or seven shots, looked out his window, and saw a group of kids "scrambling." He said police arrived a short time later and locked down the scene.
The South Side YMCA, 6330 S. Stony Island Ave., and Hyde Park Academy High School, 6220 S. Stony Island Ave., are both a short distance from the scene.
The scene of the shooting is also along the western edge of Jackson Park.
Clyde Caldwell, a classroom assistant at Hyde Park Academy, said both teens were enrolled at the school. Parents said Hyde Park Academy has early dismissal at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesdays.
"I feel hurt, because we keep losing our young people. We keep losing our young people. Senseless," he said.
Caldwell said he would see the boy who died every day.
"Nice kid, speak to you, keep going," he said. "I mean, could you imagine your child leaves home in the morning, and you're expecting them to come back home, and they're not coming home? So, even though he was not my child, he was my child."
Hyde Park principal Dr. Rosette Edinburg sent a letter to the school's community:
Safety continues to be my top priority, which is why I am writing to notify you of a situation impacting our school. This afternoon, while dismissal was taking place, we received a report that shots had been fired near our school building. We promptly brought students and staff members in the vicinity of the school back into the building and placed our school on a soft lockdown. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) and CPS Office of Safety and Security were notified, and CPD gave us the all-clear to lift the soft lockdown once they determined that it was safe to do so. I am very sorry to share that we have learned that some members of our school community were impacted by this incident. For privacy reasons, I cannot share additional details at this time.
In response to this news, we will be working with the CPS Crisis Management Unit to provide support to students and staff members. Our own school-based mental health professionals will also be available for students who need ongoing services. If your child voices any fears, concerns, or social-emotional needs to you, please let us know so we can ensure their needs are met. We are extremely saddened by this incident and will do everything we can to help our school community heal.
Chicago Public Schools also released a statement saying: "All of us at Chicago Public Schools (CPS) are saddened to learn of the loss of a young person's life and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, school and community members impacted by this tragedy."
It's been an unimaginably tragic and difficult few weeks for the Hyde Park Academy community. Two Hyde Park Academy students, including an 18-year-old Lania Smith and a 15-year-old freshman Violet Harris, were killed in two separate hit-and-run accidents, and now a 16-year-old is dead after a shooting just a block from the school.
"This is crazy. It's about the third accident since my baby started at Hyde Park, and she's only a freshman," said parent Brandi Goins.
At the park across the street from Wednesday's shooting, longtime Chicago youth football coach Ernest Radcliffe held practice. He said, unfortunately, his young and impressionable players were exposed to the aftermath of the violence.
"I am going to talk with our students, our student athletes, to let them know that you have to be aware of your surroundings and things of that nature," he said.
A worker at a nearby daycare on 63rd Street said her facility was placed on lockdown as a precaution after the shooting, and that she could see ambulances treating multiple people outside the YMCA.
A worker at the YMCA said the facility remained open and operating, and was not involved in any incident or shooting.
An investigation by Wentworth Area detectives is ongoing.