Blotter: 14-Year-Old Boy Shot Outside Church, Man Shot Dead At Birthday Party
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 14-year-old boy was shot Sunday afternoon outside a church in the 1500 block of South Kedzie, reports CBS 2's Derrick Blakely.
Police said the teenager was walking down the street around 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning when shots were fired and he was hit in the back. He collapsed inside a nearby store and was taken to Mt. Sinai hospital where he underwent surgery.
Sources tell CBS 2 the boy is listed in serious condition.
CBS 2's Blakely was also following a report of fatal gunfire overnight.
Just before 2 a.m., police say a man was killed and at least two others injured in an attack on the 600-block of E. 131st Street, which is in the Chicago Housing Authority's Altgeld Gardens complex. Witnesses say a group was standing outside of a birthday party that extended into the wee hours when a fight broke out and someone fired shots.
"I opened the door and I see a young man laying down on the ground. I instantly ran over to check his pulse and see was he's still breathing. I tried to calm the crowd down because it was real sad," said Trina Williams, who lives in the development. "It happens every day. Every day somebody dies, you just pray it don't be you."
Earlier Sunday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel blamed the city violence on proliferation of guns and lax guns laws that he says need to be toughened.
"The weak link in my view of our strategy is making sure that we get a three-year minimum for gun crimes so people serve the time. The second thing is getting the community involved," he said.
The mayor praised the job that Chicago police are doing, but said that communities needs to replace the "code of silence" with a moral code that produces more cooperation with the police.
