11 Children Wounded In Weekend Shootings In Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- At least 11 children were wounded in shootings this weekend, when a total of at least 26 people were shot across the city, four of them fatally.
Most of the child victims of gun violence between Friday afternoon and early Monday morning were teenagers, including three girls who were wounded in a mass shooting in the Parkway Gardens neighborhood on Friday night.
Police said the shooting started shortly after 9 p.m. Friday inside an apartment near 65th and King Drive, and then spilled out into a hallway. It's not clear how many people were there, but at the first sound of gunshots, everyone ran out into the hallway. That's when more shots were fired.
The victims included two 14-year-old girls, a 15-year-old girl, an 18-year-old man, a 20-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman. Two of the victims were being treated at Comer Children's Hospital. Three of those injured were in critical condition Saturday night. The other victims were taken to University of Chicago Medical Center and Stroger Hospital.
At least three of the children shot this weekend were victims of accidental shootings.
Around 7:50 p.m. Friday, an 11-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl found a gun in a home on the 3100 block of West Fillmore, and as the girl was handling the gun, it went off, and a bullet hit the boy in the neck. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition.
Less than three hours later, an 8-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl were shot when a third child was playing with a gun in a home near 47th and Forrestville. The boy and girl both were taken to Comer Children's Hospital in fair condition.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot sent out a scathing series of tweets Saturday night, saying "adults are failing these children."
"As a city, we have a fundamental obligation to ensure the safety of our children so that they can pursue their dreams and live a life free from violence. Each and every one of us needs to step up and play a role in fulfilling that commitment," Lightfoot wrote.
In total, at least 26 people were wounded in shootings this weekend.
Most recently, three people were shot in a CTA pedestrian tunnel connecting the Red and Blue line Jackson stations around 2 a.m. Monday.
Police said one man was shot in the chest and stomach, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Another man was shot in the head and arm, and was in critical condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. A 19-year-old woman was shot in the lower backside, and was in good condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital
The gunman fled the scene, and police said it appeared he had a prior dispute with the two male victims before the shooting.
