Boy, 5, is critically injured after being shot in the head by a stray bullet in drive-by shooting as he sat in his Chicago home playing on iPad
A five-year-old Chicago boy has been hospitalized in a critical condition after he was shot in the head by a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting as he sat on a couch at home playing on an iPad.
The shooting happened at about 7.30pm Monday in the 200 block of West 115th Street in the Roseland neighborhood on the city's South Side, Chicago police said.
Police spokesman Tom Ahern said at least one round went through the home's front window and struck the child in the head. His sister heard the shots and called 911 after discovering that he had been struck, Ahern said.
The Chicago Police Department on Tuesday released surveillance video showing a silver SUV connected to the shooting of a five-year-old boy. A screenshot shows a suspect firing a gun along West 115th Street on Monday
The child was playing on an iPad in his living room when at least one ran came through the window of the home and struck him in the head
The boy's sister called 9011 after seeing that the five-year-old had been shot in the head
The boy was rushed to a hospital where, where he was in critical condition after surgery
The victim was rushed to Comer Children’s Hospital, where he was in critical condition following surgery to relieve pressure on his brain, said Cmdr. Glenn White.
'This is another random act of violence here in the city of Chicago involving one of the youthful citizens of Chicago who is five years old who was innocently playing inside this residence on his iPad,' White said. 'Our hearts and our prayers go out to the parents.'
Police on Tuesday released surveillance video from the scene, showing a suspect leaning out of the passenger side of a silver-colored SUV and firing multiple rounds.
Investigators are appealing to the public for help in locating the vehicle depicted in the video. As of Tuesday afternoon, no one has been arrested in connection to the shooting.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef, of the Chicago Activist Coalition for Justice, is offering a $500 reward for information leading to an arrest, reported Chicago Sun-Times.
Police are asking for the public's help in locating the silver SUV seen in the video
A $500 award is being offered for information leading to an arrest in connection to the crime
The five-year-old was among 23 people who were shot in Chicago on Monday
Ben Yosef drew parallels between Monday's shooting and the killing of 13-year-old Amaria Jones, who was killed by a stray bullet while dancing inside her family's home in June.
'He was in a home, just as Amaria was,' Ben Yosef said. 'We’re trying to show this is a real problem: children being murdered in gun violence.'
Monday marked another bloody day for Chicago, which saw 23 shootings in a span of just 24 hours, coming on the heels of a violent weekend when 22 people were shot, one of them fatally.