Chicago

12-Year-Old Boy Shot in Chest While Playing Tag

The boy was outside playing with friends around 9 p.m. when a witnesses say a red car pulled up

A 12-year-old boy was shot in the chest while playing tag Thursday night in a drive-by shooting on Chicago's Southwest Side.

The boy was outside in the 3000 block of West 54th Street of Chicago’s Gage Park neighborhood playing tag with friends around 9 p.m. when a red car pulled up and the driver took out a gun, witnesses told police.

Some of the children were even younger than 12, according to authorities. The boy was the only one struck by a bullet. He was hit in the chest and rushed to Mt. Sinai in critical condition, authorities said.

Family members said the boy is in school and does not have a criminal history.

Chicago police detectives were on the scene for several hours Thursday night. There are no suspects in custody and a motive is unclear, according to authorities.

The warm weather in Chicago is a big concern for Andrew Holmes with the community group Chicago Survivors, who worries mild temperatures could set the stage for more violence.

He hopes it isn't a precursor to a bloody weekend in the city.

"First and foremost, I just hope that he can heal up," Holmes said. "Anything can change overnight. Anything can change in the morning. But, then again, you have to look towards the weekend when the weather's getting warm. And children haven't been outside in a while. So it's getting warm and they're going to want to be outside a little longer."

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