Chicago

7-Year-Old Girl Shot While Trick-or-Treating in Chicago

The 7-year-old girl who was trick-or-treating on Halloween in Chicago's West Side with her family remains in critical condition Friday as police interrogated a juvenile in custody.

The girl was one of two people injured in the shooting that took place at around 5:30 p.m. in the 3700 block of West 26th Street in the city's Little Village neighborhood, according to Chicago police.

Police said detectives were interrogating the person of interest while working to determine whether others were involved.

Authorities said the girl was on the sidewalk, walking eastbound on 26th Street while trick-or-treating. Three males on the south side of the street began chasing another man, according to police, who said one of them then took out a gun and opened fire. [[564215152, C]]

The girl - who was dressed in a bumblebee costume, according to multiple reports - was shot in the lower neck and taken to Stroger Hospital where she remained in critical condition early Friday, according to police.

Authorities say the man, believed to be 30 years old, was shot in the left hand and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was listed in stable condition. Police said Friday that it did not appear as though he and girl were together at the time of the shooting. [[564203522, C]]

"The shooting yesterday was reprehensible," Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said at a news conference Friday morning. "Those involved don't deserve to be in our city. So I'm disgusted but committed to doing everything we can to find the cowards that would engage in a gun battle in the early evening hours while children were trick-or-treating."

A video posted to social media Thursday shows the moment that gunfire rang out, with people immediately fleeing from the scene.

Warning: the following video could be disturbing to some viewers. Discretion is advised:

A terrifying video shows the moment that shots rang out and the chaos that followed on Halloween in Chicago’s Little Village. WARNING: This video may contain material that may be upsetting to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.

Video of the scene helped identify a person of interest, Johnson said, adding that there was a "great possibility" the suspect identified in the video was the shooter.

The gunman was wearing a "Jason" mask from the movie "Friday the 13th," Johnson said. He added that police were still looking for multiple offenders involved in the case and urged anyone with information to come forward. 

"This is a crime that touches all of us and there's no place for this savagery in our city," Johnson said. "Together we can be one set of eyes and one set of ears. Together we can find the individuals responsible for this abhorrent crime and together we can bring them to justice."

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