Boys, ages 12 and 16, wounded in West Garfield Park shooting
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two boys – ages 12 and 16 – were shot and wounded Tuesday evening on the city's West Side.
The shooting happened on Pulaski Road near Wilcox Street in West Garfield Park at 5:39 p.m. – not too long after school let out. The Legler Regional Library is located near the scene.
As CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reported, a security guard near the shooting scene is being credited with keeping the younger boy alive.
Evidence markers indicating shell casings covered the ground near the scene after the shooting.
"I saw just kids crying – and it was crazy," said witness John Christian. "It looked like they were coming out of the library, and coming in at the same time as it happened - like right after school."
Inside the library, 115 S. Pulaski Rd., Chicago Police found a 12-year-old who had been shot. A security guard had carried the boy inside the library and attempted to render aid to him and keep him alive until an ambulance arrived.
"I heard shots go off, and I knew it was close by – so I came down," Christian said.
The 12-year-old was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County in fair condition.
The 16-year-old boy was shot twice in the leg and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said.
Officers found an adult male suspect, and a female suspect, nearby in the 3900 block of West Madison Street – and arrested both of them. Police radio traffic suggests the female suspect could be as young as 10 years old.
The radio traffic indicated that police believe the girl was with the gunman and handed him the gun before he began shooting.
"It was traumatizing. Kids - it involved kids," Christian said. "Kids don't deserve that."
Charges were pending late Tuesday, and a gun was recovered.