9-Year-Old Boy, Mother Shot In South Austin Neighborhood
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 9-year-old boy and his mother were shot and wounded Wednesday afternoon in the South Austin neighborhood.
Police said the shooting happened at 1:16 p.m. The boy and his mother were standing on the sidewalk.
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said several people in a car pulled up to the corner of Central Avenue and Lake Street. They got out of the car and opened fire at a group of young men on the corner they had driven past.
As CBS 2's Marissa Parra reported, police believe this was a targeted incident, except the 27-year-old mother and her 9-year-old boy were not targets.
The woman was shot in the lower back and was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County, where her condition was stabilized. The boy was also shot in the lower back and his condition was stabilized at the same hospital. As of last check, both were in critical condition.
When the shooting was over, the suspects got back in the car and fled, Brown said. They were not in custody late Tuesday afternoon, and the vehicle was only described as dark-colored.
Police as of late Wednesday afternoon did not know why the men started shooting at the group.
Brown said there are police pod cameras nearby, and there are also cameras from businesses from which police will review video. But he also emphasized that police need help from the community.
"Someone knows who these suspects are, and we've seen communities in recent weeks come forward with information to solve violent crimes, and those communities were made safer once we captured and brought the violent offenders to justice," Brown said.
Brown continued, "My plea to the Austin community - if you have any information about who did this cowardly act and struck a mother and a 9-year-old boy, please come forward."
As of 6 p.m., police were still gathering evidence at the scene.
It feels like almost every week in Chicago lately, there is another report of a child shot. Among numerous other incidents, a 14-year-old boy was shot and wounded in the 3500 block of West Flournoy Street in Homan Square along with an 18-year-old man who was pronounced dead on Saturday night, and a 9-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet when shots were fired into a vehicle that was found in the 8500 block of South Givins Court in Auburn Gresham on Monday afternoon.
In the latest shooting in South Austin, the public can provide information anonymously at CPDTip.com, or call Area Four detectives at (312) 746-8252.