3-Year-Old Shot, Killed In South Austin Community; Was Third Child Under 10 Shot In Chicago Since Wednesday

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 3-year-old boy is dead after being shot Saturday evening in the West Side's South Austin community.

The shooting happened at 6:30 p.m. in the 600 block of North Central Avenue at Huron Street, police said.

Police said a 27-year-old man was driving south on Central Avenue when someone inside a blue Honda fired shots at his sport-utility vehicle. He was shot along with a 3-year-old boy. Family members said the boy was the man's stepson.

The man suffered a graze wound to the abdomen and drove to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, police said. But the child was shot in the back and was initially in serious condition, but was later pronounced dead at the same hospital, police said.

No one was in custody Saturday evening, police said. Area Four detectives were investigating.

The 27-year-old man was known to police and was believed to be the target of the shooting, police said.

As CBS 2's Steven Graves reported, heartbroken family members wept outside the hospital Saturday night. They said the boy and his stepfather were on the way back from the barbershop when the shooting happened.

"This is a proud community of Austin. We're going to be asking this community to step up with any type of information -- anything that they saw," said Chicago Police Chief of Operations Fred Waller. "We have the detectives out here canvassing right now, so we're going to be asking for a lot of help from this community. We're going to the asking Austin to step up."

At the hospital Saturday night, police were taking pictures and examining evidence inside the victim's vehicle, Police said there were also checking out cameras to track down a suspect.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a multi-part tweet mourning the boy's death:

"Our city's collective heart breaks to hear the unfathomable news of a 3-year-old boy who was shot and killed tonight on Chicago's West Side. There are simply no words to describe such a heinous, unconscionable act of cowardice to shoot at a toddler.

"A 3-year-old boy who had his whole life ahead of him. To the despicable individuals responsible for this senseless act of violence, you have no place in this city, no home in our communities, no shelter to hide.

"I ask that anyone with information on this incident please come forward or submit a tip anonymously at http://cpdtip.com.

The 3-year-old was at least the third child shot under the age of 10 in Chicago since Wednesday of this week.

At 8:34 p.m. Wednesday, a 9-year-old girl was among four people shot in the 1300 block of West 76th Street in Auburn Gresham. The girl was shot in the right leg and was reported in good condition at the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital.

Men ages 31, 25 and 19 were also wounded in that incident.

Around 5 p.m. Thursday, a 5-year-old boy was shot in the buttocks in the 700 block of West 50th Place in Back of the Yards and was taken to a local hospital. A 19-year-old man was also wounded in that shooting.

Meanwhile Saturday evening, three teens were shot and wounded in a separate incident several blocks away from where the 3-year-old boy was shot.

That shooting happened at 8:36 p.m. in the 1000 block of North Leclaire Avenue, police said. Two teenage boys were sitting on a porch when another man saw a red laser light pointed at him and heard multiple gunshots, police said.

Three people were shot – the two boys ages 15 and 16 who were outside, and one girl, age 13, who was inside the home, police said.

The 16-year-old boy was shot in the left leg and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said. The 15-year-old boy was shot in the lower back and was taken to the same hospital in good condition, police said.

The girl was shot in the right side of the neck and was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County in critical condition, police said.

There were also multiple shootings elsewhere in Chicago late Saturday, including one in Logan Square that left one man dead and another wounded, and another in South Chicago that left two teenage boys dead.

In:
• Austin
• Central Avenue
• West Side
• South Austin