"That actually appears that rounds entered the front screen door of the apartment, and subsequently struck the boy who was sitting on the couch," said Chief Fred Hayes, Joliet police department.
Police spent several hours searching the housing project for clues into the shooting. Detectives questioned a number of witnesses. They also brought in a dog to try to locate the suspects.
Investigators say the shooting began when four or five suspected gang members began arguing with two brothers in front of the boy's home.
"They were yelling at each other," said Demetrius Green, neighbor. "I thought they were going to fight. I didn't think it was going to lead to a shooting or nothing."
One of the men pulled out a gun and shot 23-year-old Anthony Paige in the stomach and his 18-year-old brother, Antwan, in the left arm and knee. A stray bullet crashed through the front door of a home nearby and hit the seven-year-old boy in the chest. He was sitting on the coach with his mother when he was struck.
Neighbors say it's a shame that a child is not even safe from gangs and gun violence inside his home.
"That is what touches me because that is my little son's friend. He would come over to my house and play and do things together. That's my problem because he had nothing to do with that and he is a nice little kid," said Quin Taylor, neighbor.
Police say they have a vague description of the suspect. They hope the two men who were shot will help them locate the shooter.
