The boys, ages 12 and 15, were in a vacant lot in the 600-block of West 47th Street in the city's Canaryville neighborhood at about 3:45 p.m. when they were involved in a fight with an unknown number of suspects, police said. Chopper 7 was over the scene, which is not far from Tilden High School.
At least one suspect pulled out a gun, and shot the boys, police said.
The 12-year-old was shot in the chest, and the 15-year-old was shot in the hip area, CPD said.
One of the boys was able to run away to the back of a nearby barbershop before collapsing on the ground.
The clothes of one of the young victims remain on the ground, in the back of Style Headquarters barbershop, where its owner says he found the boy shot multiple times.
That owner asked not to be identified.
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"Went back there to take my break, and he was laid out on the gate. I thought he fell from the roof because they're doing reconstruction, but whole time he got shot on the other end of the alley, and ran all the way down here. They chased him down to the back of the house right there," the owner said. "He was conscious because he wouldn't stop moving. I guess the bullets were hot. They picked him up and put him in the ambulance."
The boys were taken to University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital in critical condition, police said.
Friday morning, police said the 15-year-old died. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office later identified him as Alex Durante.
"I been here for five years. I opened up five years ago. Our anniversary's coming up; so I really never seen nothing like that in this neighborhood," the barbershop owner said.
Police confirmed later Friday that detectives are speaking with a person of interest.
Area detectives are investigating. Police did not immediately provide any additional information about the suspects.
Alderman Raymond Lopez, posted on X, saying "Today the 15th Ward experienced a shooting near Tilden High School. If having national guardsmen on hand to increase uniform presence keeps our youth from getting shot, what's the problem? Neither Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson are providing real solutions for my constituents."
There's no word on whether anyone involved is a student at Tilden High School.
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