6 of the 9 people shot Tuesday were teenagers or younger
Update 2: Victim #2, a 31-year-old male, has been pronounced. Detectives are now conducting a homicide investigation.
Update 1: *The victims’ ages from the incident in the 6200 block of S. Langley have been corrected to the following: Victim #1, a 22-year-old male; Victim #2, a 31-year-old male; Victim #3, a 37-year-old female.
CHICAGO - According to the reports provided by the Chicago Police Department, there were 9 people shot on Tuesday. Six of those shot throughout the day were reported to be teenagers or younger.
Temperatures on this mid-January day reached nearly 40 degrees and the unseasonably warm weather brought the kids out and, sadly, the guns out. Last week, there were two 14-year-olds shot and killed.
The first incident was recorded as a 15-year-old who was shot in the 4900 block of S. Prairie Avenue in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the city's south side at approximately 12:40 a.m. Tuesday morning. The 15-year-old male was a passenger in a vehicle driving on S. Prairie when he says he heard shots and felt pain. The victim suffered a gunshot wound to his upper right leg. He was taken to Comers Children's Hospital in good condition.
The second happened in the 6500 block of S. Paulina in West Englewood, shortly after noon. A male, 16, and a female, 17, both sustained gunshot wounds to the body. The pair were walking down the street when an unknown black vehicle approached and fired shots in their direction. The bullets struck the 16-year-old male victim in the chin and the 17-year-old female victim was hit in the thigh. Both victims were taken to University of Chicago in good condition while the unknown black offending vehicle fled the scene.
The third incident occurred in the 800 block of N. Greenview at approximately 1:14 p.m in the Noble Square neighborhood on the city's northwest side. Another 15-year-old male victim was on the street when an unknown offender approached the boy, pulled out a weapon, and fired shots. The teen sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and to his left arm. He was transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition where he later died.
Update: The victim has been identified as 15-year-old Caleb Westbrooks. He was a 9th grader at Rauner College Prep.
Finally, the fourth incident took place at approximately 4:17 p.m. in the 12200 block of S. Lowe in the West Pullman neighborhood. A 16-year-old male victim and an 11-year-old female victim were on the sidewalk when a dark-colored vehicle pulled up and an unknown offender fired shots from inside the vehicle. The 16-year-old victim sustained a gunshot wound to the right arm and was transported to Comers Children’s Hospital in good condition. The 11-year-old victim sustained a graze wound to the back and was also transported to Comers Children’s Hospital in good condition.
An additional three people were also shot on Tuesday around 5:00 p.m. in the 6200 block of S. Langley in the West Woodlawn neighborhood on the city's south side. Victim #1 is a 23-year-old male suffered a gunshot wound to the face. He was transported to the University of Chicago hospital in critical condition. Victim #2 is a 38-year-old male who received a gunshot wound to the leg. He, too, was transported to University of Chicago hospital in critical condition. While victim #3 is a 38-year-old female who also suffered a gunshot wound to the leg, and who was transported to Stroger Hospital in serious condition. None of the three victims were being uncooperative with the police investigation at the time of this report.
There is no one in custody in any of the incidents described above.
Area One, Area Two, and Area Three detectives are investigating.
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