Boys, 12 and 14, shot in vehicle on Chicago's South Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two boys, ages 12 and 14, were shot in a vehicle in the South Shore neighborhood Monday afternoon, and went on to ditch the car and run for help two miles away while the suspected shooters got into a standoff with a SWAT team, police said.
At 1:43 p.m., the two boys were traveling in a vehicle in the 7800 block of South Escanaba Avenue in South Shore when a black Dodge Charger started to chase them.
Someone in the black sedan took out a gun and shot in the direction of the victims' car, striking them both, police said.
The wounded boys ditched the bullet-riddled Kia in an alley about two miles away near 74th Street and Kenwood Avenue in Grand Crossing, police said. Officers arrived at the scene there just before 2 p.m.
The wounded boys ran into a house on Kenwood Avenue, and 911 was called.
The 12-year-old boy was shot once in the stomach and was taken to the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital in good condition, while the 14-year-old boy was shot in the buttocks and was taken to the same hospital in serious condition.
In Grand Crossing, CBS 2 talked to a number of neighbors – including Donnell Pelts, who is the father of a 13-year-old daughter himself.
"Just devastation - I can't imagine a parent losing their kids out here," said Pelts. "All I've got to say is like, man, you know, try to put down the guns or something. That's sad. I feel like breaking down."
Meanwhile, the suspected shooters ran into a home in the 7800 block of South Burnham Avenue – one city block west of the original shooting scene.
A police SWAT team responded, and a standoff began. Chicago Police SWAT team officers were heard on a loudspeaker asking suspects to come out of a home.
Later, several people walked out of the house with their hands up, and two were handcuffed by police and taken into custody. It was not clear whether any of these people were the suspected shooters, and it was unclear how the people were connected.
Police said as of late Monday night, the SWAT situation had been cleared. There was no word on arrests or charges Monday night.
