Off-duty firefighter shot in face, teen among 5 hurt, 1 dead in West Pullman shooting

CHICAGO (WLS) -- An off-duty Chicago firefighter is in critical condition after he was shot while standing outside on the South Side Saturday night.

The shooting left him, his 15-year-old niece and 3 others wounded, and a 42-year-old woman dead.

Timothy Eiland was shot in the face while leaving a family party in West Pullman Saturday night.

"At first, I thought it was firecrackers, then I heard people running," said Elland's sister, Elishama Wright.

"I came back and checked on my brother. Checked his pulse to make sure he still had it...it was very faint," she said. "He did not deserve that at all, nobody deserved that. Period."

Wright's 15-year-old daughter was also shot in the same incident.

"Mentally and emotionally, she is not doing well at all," Wright said.

The group was outside walking towards their vehicles about 9:40 p.m in the 300 block of East Kensington Avenue when someone inside another vehicle fired multiple rounds in their direction, Chicago police said.

Police said the six people were struck with gunfire when someone pulled up and started shooting.

The teen shot in the arm and transported in fair condition to Comer Children's Hospital, police said. She has since been released from the hospital.

"Seeing her uncle and how she was shot herself, it was a lot to process," Wright said. "It is still a lot to process and take in."

Eiland, 32, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.

RELATED: Prayer to end Chicago violence draws over 100 to 63rd Street Beach

Eiland followed in his dad's footsteps.

"Passing the torch. It was awesome," Wright said.

The retired CFD Cpt. recently pinning on his pendant at CFD graduation, now sitting by his hospital bed.

"My dad was saying that he was talking to him, and he opened his eyes and while they were talking tears fell down his face," Wright said.

Another man, 38, was struck in the stomach and was taken to the same hospital in fair condition. A third man, 22, was suffered gunshot wounds to the arm and leg and was transported to Roseland Hospital in fair condition; and a fourth man, 31, was grazed in the head and taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, where he was listed in fair condition, police said.

A 42-year-old woman was shot in the arm and armpit and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, police said. She has been identified as Schenia Smith, of Dolton, according to the medical examiner's office.

As the surviving victims try to recovery, they hope the shooter is caught.

"Pray for Chicago. It is too much, too much gun violence and now it is close to home. Really really bad," Wright said.

No one is in custody as Area Two detectives investigate.

There were at least two shootings that ended with multiple people injured so far this weekend.

Another shooting on the city's South Side ended with four people shot and one killed.

Since Friday, at least 51 people have been shot, five fatally.

Anyone with information is asked to call Chicago police.

The Sun-Times Media Report contributed to this post.