13-year-old critical after shot in the head at random on Lower West Side

CHICAGO - A 13-year-old boy was shot in the head in an apparently random shooting on the city's Lower West Side last night, authorities said.

The incident happened last night around 10:30 p.m. when a 13-year-old boy and his Uncle were returning to a residence on the 1800 block of West 21st Place on the city's lower west side where family members were still gathered after a grandmother's birthday party.

According to Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan, the family noticed a suspicious group of cars in the area. After a brief burst of fireworks, family then said two people fired shots from a nearby alley.

Most family hit the ground but another family member with a valid concealed carry license returned fire.

No one was struck except the boy, 13, who was hit in the right temple and is now in extremely critical condition, according to Detective Deenihan.

Chicago Police attempted to pull over one of the suspicious vehicles but it fled. The CPD helicopter was able to track that vehicle all the way out to suburban Hinsdale, where the Hinsdale Police Department deployed spikes to stop the car and take three individuals inside into custody.

Deenihan said the three they have in custody are indeed gang members but they haven't yet been able to confirm that they were the shooters. "We believe that they were just shooting at this individual because they didn’t recognize him from the neighborhood," said Deenihan.

Superintendent David Brown added it "could just be a random act of violence. This group just shot at this person for no apparent is what we have now." There was no indication that the boy’s uncle, who he was with when they returned to the home, was involved in any criminal behavior, according to Brown.

The Chicago Journal needs your support.

At just $12/year, your subscription not only helps us grow, it helps maintain our commitment to independent publishing.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE

If you're already a subscriber and you'd like to send a tip to continue to support the Chicago Journal, which we would greatly appreciate, you can do so at the following link:

Send a tip to the Chicago Journal