Police search for suspects who shot mother, daughters in Hammond

HAMMOND, Ind. (WLS) -- Hammond police are investigating why a mother, 41, was parked in an alley with her two teen daughters. Authorities said all three were shot as she tried to drive away from an apparent attempted robbery.

The car was parked on the 900-block of Morris Street when the men approached the group of women. Authorities said a confrontation ensued.

When the mother tried to drive away, police said one of the suspects pulled out a gun and opened fire on the vehicle, shattering the car windows.

A woman who lives in the neighborhood and asked not to be identified said the mother pulled up in her car and asked for help. She appeared to have been shot in the arm. The witness said the girls had been shot in the lower torso and extremities.

"Both of the daughters, they both were leaned over and crying because of their gun shots. One had the gunshot in her thigh, and another one in her hip area," the witness said. "They were just saying, 'Please help them, help them, they've been shot.'"

"You knew it was an automatic weapon," Hammond resident Edlin Smith said. "It was about ten shots. I wasn't sure what it was. As I looked out, I seen nothing."

The mother is being treated at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and is expected to recover. The daughters are in critical condition at a Chicago area hospital.

Hammond police are searching for the two suspects, but have not released a description of them.