Four teens, two just 15 years old, shot and wounded outside Carl Schurz High School on Northwest Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Four teenagers -- two of them only 15 years old -- were shot and wounded Wednesday afternoon near Carl Schurz High School in the Old Irving Park neighborhood.
The shooting took place on the patio of the La Michoacana Ice Cream Shop across the street from the school at Milwaukee Avenue and Addison Street. It did not occur inside the school.
Police said at 2:47 p.m., four teenage boys were on the patio of the ice cream shop when a black sport-utility vehicle went by and someone inside shot them all.
The vehicle then sped off east on Addison Street.
Two of the victims are Chicago Public Schools students, while one attends an alternative school, police said. Information about where, if anywhere, the 18-year-old attended school was not immediately learned.
It was not immediately certain whether the victims attend Schurz, said Chicago Police Area Five Deputy Chief Roberto Nieves.
Police said two 15-year-old boys were shot. On was struck in the face and neck and was taken to Lurie Children's Hospital in critical condition.
The other 15-year-old was shot in the back and was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County in good condition.
A 17-year-old suffered a graze wound to the leg and was taken to Community First Medical Center in good condition. An 18-year-old was shot in the leg and was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, also in good condition.
As CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reported, witnesses said they heard several shots near the ice cream shop, at 3591 N. Milwaukee Ave., and saw paramedics working on the victims near the outside patio of the shop.
Dismissal times happen in intervals at Schurz, Nieves said. At the time of the shooting, some of the students had been dismissed, but most were still inside the school.
De Mar talked with one parent who was waiting in the car with his daughter, and who was just feet from the shooting.
"I heard about seven or eight shots, and the car just took off. I see a kid laying down right there because he got shot in the leg," said Saul Ramirez. "I was like, poor kids – you know, they were just having ice cream – in broad daylight."
"I just remember the teachers telling everyone to, you know, stay in the classroom; don't leave the building," said his daughter, Vianni Ramirez.
Vianni said she was worried about her dad, who again, happened to be waiting just steps from the shooting.
"I heard the sirens or whatever, so I was confused, and then I was like, 'Dad!' because I knew he was outside already," she said, "so I was like, 'Dad, stay in the car! Be careful!'"
De Mar also spoke to a man who heard the shots as he was outside the school while waiting for his niece.
"As soon as I parked here, I heard the shots. That's about it," said Jose Villanueva, who added he heard "roughly three" shots.
"The kids were sitting over there having a good time. All of a sudden when they heard the shots, they went down," he continued. "Since we heard the shots and everything, I figured out that the school was on lockdown – which is what happened."
Around 4 p.m., the lockdown ended and students left the school to be reunited with their parents.
Detectives and officers are investigating in the area, and are seeking video and any other type of evidence, Nieves said. They are also speaking to people nearby.
While there are surveillance cameras at the school and the ice cream shop – and a city POD camera right at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Addison Street – police radio traffic suggests that POD camera was not working.
Meanwhile, the Albany Park (17th) police district will have enhanced patrols both arrival and dismissal times at Schurz beginning on Thursday morning, Nieves said.
"This is very upsetting, and we understand it. We are very upset with it ourselves," Nieves said. "Our number one priority is the safety of our kids – especially our kids that attend school. They should be safe coming, and while they're at school, and going home – so we're going to work on keeping that, and we assure the parents that we'll be out here protecting their children."
There was an increase in police patrol for school drop off Thursday morning and there will continue to be in afternoon.
Anyone with information or who witnessed the shooting is asked to call Area Five detectives at (312) 746-6554.
