Teen Killed, Another Wounded In West Side Shooting
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two days shy of his 17th birthday, a boy was fatally shot while he was out with friends in the Austin neighborhood.
Elijah Sims, a senior at Oak Park River Forest High School, was out with a group of friends just after 10 p.m. Monday, when someone shot into the crowd near the corner of Quincy Street and Lotus Avenue
Police said Elijah was shot in the head, and a 15-year-old boy was shot in the back.
"Someone came and started shooting, and he took off running with the rest of the crowd, and the bullet got him in the head, and he was laying right here. Y'all don't know what y'all did to our family. Please, please stop the senseless shooting. Please, these people that y'all shooting, people love them. We love him," his aunt, Wanda, said.
Elijah and the other boy were taken to Stroger Hospital. Elijah's family said he was essentially brain dead after the shooting, but they were praying for a miracle. However, he was pronounced dead Tuesday morning. The other boy's condition was stabilized.
"Tomorrow is my nephew's birthday, and they just took him from us. It hurt. It hurt," his aunt said.
Elijah's aunt was in tears as she described how badly he wanted his cake for his 17th birthday on Wednesday.
"His birthday is tomorrow, and that's all he wanted was his birthday cake," she said. "He was just so much fun."
Elijah's family said they moved out of Chicago two years ago to get away from the crime.
Police said the victims do not appear to have any gang affiliations.
No one was in custody Tuesday morning.
