Girl, 16, shot while walking to school recounts terrifying moments
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A 16-year-old girl who was shot while walking to school spoke to ABC7 about her terrifying ordeal.
Even though a bullet pierced her right leg, Alex is out of the hospital and walking Thursday night. The high school student was on her way to school when she was shot.
"I'm 16! What if I actually could have got paralyzed or even killed from a bullet that wasn't even meant for me. And it's too early for that, it was morning - and they're shooting already," she said.
Police say Alex - who does not want her full name used - was not the intended target.
The shooting in the 1400-block of N. Kildare happened at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. The family said a gunman in a gray vehicle was aiming for a man using a U-Haul truck.
"I heard like two shots behind me, and then that's when the third one hit me. It kind of felt like a paintball," Alex said.
A man, who asked to not be identified, said he saw someone first shoot at the truck driver, and then the driver shot back.
"He hopped out. He opened up the U-Haul trunk from the back and he came out with a bag. He was walking around. He was nervous. He was confused. He didn't know what to do with the bag," the man said.
Nearby residents said that when the U-Haul driver tried to get away, he crashed into a parked car, causing damage to several vehicles, including one belonging to Lucrecia Vinson. The mother of three had returned from work just a few hours earlier.
"I was just hoping it was just bullet holes, but there's a lot of damage. It's not replaceable at all," Vinson said.
In the midst of the shootout, Alex said she tried to run away.
"Knowing that I got hit in my leg, I thought I was going to get paralyzed - or either, you know, die," she said.
Along with conducting interviews, the family says investigators want to take a close look at cameras, including one at a nearby corner store less than a block from the scene.
And Alex has her own request: "All the violence has to stop, even if it's just for a day - just have peace for once."
No one is in custody.
