A 5-year-old boy, whose father apparently was targeted, was critically wounded during a Rogers Park shooting Sunday, prompting police to again call on judges to impose stiffer penalties against violent criminals.
The child had been in a vehicle with his mother and father in the 7600 block of North Paulina Street, near West Howard Street, around 5 p.m. when a black Hyundai pulled up beside the family’s vehicle, according to Brendan Deenihan, chief of detectives with Chicago Police.
The father, who has been identified as a 25-year-old man, stepped out of the vehicle and someone in the Hyundai began shooting, hitting the man in the hand and shoulder and striking the 5-year-old boy in the head, Deenihan said during a Monday morning news conference.
“The mother drove directly to a hospital in Evanston,” Deenihan said. The 5-year-old later was transferred to Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. “The child’s still in extremely critical condition at this time.”
The 25-year-old was treated at Amita Health St. Francis Hospital and last was listed in good condition, police said.
Violence responder Andrew Holmes, who has been in close contact with the family, said the boy’s mother had just dropped him off with his father when the shots were fired.
“The mom was there, just driving off, when she realized the baby was shot,” he said. “I know the baby was still in the red when I left the hospital last night. The baby is in a lot of pain,” Holmes said Monday morning.
The boy had just started school in Evanston and was really excited to go back Monday, he added.
He remained in “grave” condition Sunday evening, according to Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th. Hadden said the 25-year-old was the person the shooter or shooters had targeted.
“The violence being done to our city by people with grudges and guns is horrific,” Hadden said in a statement. “Our children should not be placed in harm’s way like this.”
Hadden also said police are looking for witnesses to come forward with information, and Deenihan made similar comments Monday.
“We definitely need some assistance to help solve this crime,” Deenihan said. “It’s another reckless act with another child.”
Also at the Monday news conference, Superintendent David Brown was asked what police plan to do to stop innocent victims such as the 5-year-old boy from being shot. And although he had an immediate response, he said Cook County judges are the ones who need to keep violent criminals behind bars by denying them bail, which would lead to increased safety in the city.
“Hold the violent criminals accountable in our courts and you will see a safer Chicago. Don’t treat illegal gun possession as if everyone possessing a gun is the same,” Brown said in response to the question. He said the courthouse essentially is a “revolving door” when judges don’t deny bail to violent offenders, which allows them to get “right back out on our streets and harming our babies.”
The 5-year-old is the most recent in a series of high-profile shootings that have left children in the city seriously wounded or dead.
During an unrelated shooting Aug. 21, a 6-year-old girl was shot in the arm while attending a birthday party at a church in Englewood. Three days earlier, the Tribune reported seven children had been shot in the span of 24 hours.
No one had been arrested in connection with the shooting as of Monday, police said, and detectives continue to investigate.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
