1-year-old boy killed, mother shot in car in Englewood, Chicago police say
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A 1-year-old boy was killed and his mother was injured in a shooting in Englewood Saturday afternoon, Chicago police said.
Police said the the shooting occurred near Halsted and 60th around 2 p.m.
Chicago police said a 22-year-old woman was driving home from the laundromat with her child when another vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired at least seven shots.
"I don't think it was random because of the amount of times it was fired upon," said Chicago Police Chief of Operations Fred Waller.
The boy, who was sitting in a carseat in the back of the vehicle, was struck in the chest, police said. The mother suffered a graze wound to the head.
The mother then drove to St. Bernard Hospital, and parked her car near the entrance of the emergency room.
The boy was pronounced dead at the hospital.
"She didn't even want to go and get her wound taken care because she didn't want to leave where her child was," said Pastor Donovan Price.
The fatal shooting comes after a 3-year-old boy was killed on his way home from a haircut last weekend.
Mekhi James was also riding in the backseat of a car when he was shot and killed last Saturday.
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"When is this going to stop?" Waller asked. "When are we going to say enough is enough?"
The anger and sadness fueled another call to action Saturday.
"I just want to sit on the curb and cry," Price said.
The community came together with money to find the killer of the child.
"You can only run for so long until somebody gives us that information or gives us a call," community activist Andrew Holmes said.
"I understand there are so many root causes of violence we have yet to deal with, but we will not sit back and allow you to walk around our communities and shoot our children and our women," said community activist Ja'Mal Green.
Since Friday evening, at least seven people were killed and 19 wounded in shootings across Chicago.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot addressed the violence on Twitter Saturday.
"As a mother, I am tired of the funerals. I am tired of burying our children," Lightfoot said.
"We all have a role in this fight for the safety of our communities," Lightfoot said. "I ask that anyone with information on these incidents please come forward or submit a tip anonymously at http://cpdtip.com."
Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown also released a statement following the Englewood shooting Saturday.
"This baby, and all of our residents, deserve better. This is not just a problem that Englewood needs to solve. This is not just a problem on the South Side or the West Side. We cannot compartmentalize the violence that is tearing families and communities apart," Brown said. "Someone knows something. For the sake of Chicago's children, please come forward to help bring the trigger pullers to justice."
