Someone inside a vehicle opened fire near 67th and Michigan around 7:40 p.m. Sunday. Police said the suspects asked if any of the children had gang ties and opened fire before thy answered.
"I just saw people getting shot. Then I'm trying to push people like my little brother and them in front of me, and tell them to run and, stuff like that, and by the time I tried to run I just got shot in my leg. And I fell and Ii just saw my little cousin getting shot," Jamante White, 14, said. He was shot in the leg and treated and released at the hospital.
His cousin, 11-year-old Tymisha Washington, was shot twice and remains hospitalized in serious condition.
"The younger patient, who is 11, she was shot in the chest and neck. She required a little more work on our part. We had to put a tube in to drain blood from her lung, as well as re-inflate her lung," Dr. Frederic Starr, Stroger Hospital, said.
Three other girls, all 15 or younger, suffered less serious injuries. One of them also remains hospitalized with a wound to the wrist.
No one is in custody in the shooting. The children's grandmother said they do not have gang ties, and they had just left church to play in the park.
"Why shoot innocent children that's just trying to live day to day. Why try to kill them?" Rebecca Washington, grandmother, said. "I'm just devastated my grandchildren can't even have a Sunday. Go to church, enjoy God's service, and then can't go outside to play without getting shot."
Deadly weekend in Chicago; St. Sabina's hosts vigil
Nine people were shot to death and 35 were injured in shootings over the weekend, according to Chicago police.
"We've had, unfortunately, a bad week. It doesn't wipe out what's happened over the last two years. But it's certainly a wakeup call that we have a lot of work to do," Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said while at a graduation for new Chicago police officers. He said a complex strategy is in place to combat violence.
Community activist Father Michael Pfleger called upon parents and children to gather at St. Sabina Parish, 7800 South Racine, on the city's South Side for a vigil at 6 p.m. The church released a statement, "This is unacceptable! Violence cannot be an option and warm weather cannot lead to a loss of lives."
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is expected to attend the peace vigil.
