A 7-year-old girl dressed as a bumblebee was hit by a stray bullet in her lower neck area while trick-or-treating on Halloween night, Chicago police say.
The little girl was critically injured and taken to Stroger Hospital after the shooting in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. Police said on Friday that she was in critical but stable condition.
According to USA Today, a group of men were chasing another man when someone in the group fired. Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi called the girl an “unintended victim.”
Police Sgt. Rocco Alioto called the shooting “Unacceptable,” saying, “A 7-year-old girl that was trick-or-treating with her family had to get shot because a group of guys want to shoot at another male.”
Police said a group of males were chasing another male along the street when someone in the group fired at the intended victim. Police believe a 30-year-old man who was shot in the left hand during the incident, was the intended target in what cops theorize was a gang-related shooting. He was taken to a nearby hospital and is in good condition. It was not immediately known if the wounded man was with the girl and her group.
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said that police have been working through the night to follow leads to identify the person they believe to be the shooter. One person of interest has been identified, Johnson said, adding that there were “multiple offenders,” though the specific number of suspects is unclear.
Johnson said the suspect was reportedly wearing a Jason Halloween mask, and that phones were “ringing off the hook” Thursday night as community members passed along information.
“There’s no place for offenders to hide when all eyes are searching,” Johnson said. “I am asking anyone who knows anything to stand up and do the right thing.”
