Instead, they became victims of it. They were shot in a drive-by shooting in the city's Auburn Gresham neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.
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"Three boys that I hold dear. That I would've jumped in front of the bullets for. You know what I mean? That type of love," said Joseph Saunders, a youth mentor at St. Sabina.
Police said a group was standing outside 76th Street and Wolcott Avenue about 2 p.m. when a vehicle drove by and someone inside started shooting.
A 15-year-old boy was shot in both legs. He was taken to Comer Children's Hospital in good condition, Chicago police said.
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A 17-year-old boy said to be a star high school basketball player was shot in the middle of the back. He was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said.
Police said a 21-year-old man was shot in the head, and was also taken to University of Chicago in critical condition. He became a youth mentor at the church that raised him, but is now fighting for his life.
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Lamar Johnson, the violence prevention coordinator at St. Sabina, described the brothers as "good-hearted boys" and called the situation "tragic."
"It was numbing," Johnson said. "We're a family. We're a village."
It's a pain far too familiar that, once again, has hit close to home for the St. Sabina community.
"Here we go again. How long do we still continue to watch our kids being shot?" Johnson said.
The shooting comes as St. Sabina is still reeling months after losing a former student.
SEE ALSO | Family of teen mentored at St. Sabina demands justice after fatal shooting in Chatham
"As soon as you think you're getting over something, here comes another hit," Saunders said. "In Chicago, for whatever reason, it's like the most gifted, the more youth that you have really doing something, they are the main targets."
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Khalil White-El, 18, was shot and killed in August, days after getting his first job.
St. Sabina has already stepped up with efforts to solve the more recent shooting. The church is offering a $15,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.
No one was in custody Monday morning, and Area Two detectives are investigating.
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