A 7-year-old trick-or-treater was one of two people shot by a stray bullet in a Chicago gang shooting on Thursday night.
The trick-or-treater, who was reported to be wearing either a bumblebee or Minnie Mouse costume, was hit by a stray bullet after members of rival gangs opened fire around 5:30 p.m. on Halloween. The girl was shot in the neck, leaving her in critical condition as of Friday morning.
Authorities said the girl was trick-or-treating with a 31-year-old man. While the duo was walking, three men on the other side of the street got into an altercation and opened fire.
Police claimed neither the girl nor the man with her was targets of the shooting, though both were hit with stray bullets.
The man was hospitalized but listed in stable condition.
30 year old male also injured in this senseless incident the young girl who was out with family for Halloween is believed to be an unintended victim after multiple offenders opened fire. Helpful community info is already coming in but we need more. pic.twitter.com/NynfoDDtxd
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) October 31, 2019
In a press conference on Thursday night, Chicago Police Sgt. Rocco Alioto called the shooting “unacceptable.”
“This was a 7-year-old girl that was trick-or-treating and happened to be shot because a group of guys wanted to shoot another male with a street full of kids trick-or-treating,” he said.
Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson noted that the gunman has yet to be apprehended, despite an “overwhelming” number of tips from the community. Johnson explained that the gunman was wearing a “Jason” mask at the time of the shooting.
He called the shooting “reprehensible,” and added that the gunmen “do not deserve to live in our city.”
As Alioto noted, the street was crowded with trick-or-treaters. A video posted online after the shooting shows the chaos sparked by gunfire.
One witness, Lali Lara, described the scene to the Chicago Tribune, saying, “The girl’s father was screaming, ‘My little girl’s been shot!’”
“I was pressing on her and calling her name so she won’t close her eyes,’’ she said. ”She was looking at me, and I was calling her name. She was holding my hand for three minutes, and then she let me go. I have kids — I would go crazy if something happened to my kids.”
Police noted that one man had been questioned after being found wounded one block away from the shooting, but no arrests have been made.
UPDATE: A person of interest in the shooting has been arrested. According to Johnson, police identified a suspect in the shooting and obtained the weapon believed to have been used in the crime. The suspect is a juvenile, meaning a name will not be publicly released.
A juvenile person of interest is in police custody and being interrogated by Area Central Detectives are simultaneously working to identify additional individuals that may be involved. pic.twitter.com/1UJo2TyyH9
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) November 1, 2019
Authorities are still working to find any others who were involved in the shooting.
The 7-year-old victim’s status in the hospital has been improved from critical to stable.
