Boy, 15, wounded by gunfire in alley in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood
Police were searching for a shooter Sunday night after a 15-year-old boy was shot and seriously wounded in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood — within earshot of the Puerto Rican Festival.
But a neighbor said there was no gunman for whom to search, because the teen accidentally shot himself. He was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County in critical condition.
Regardless of what the circumstances turn out to be, neighbors said this is part of a wider issue — namely lack of better options for kids in their area.
The shooting happened around 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Hours later, yellow and red tape crossed the back alley behind 2646 W. Evergreen Ave. — between Washtenaw Avenue and Rockwell Street. Homes are located on the south side of the alley, a church to the north.
Neighbors said the teen was running when he was accidentally shot with his own gun.
"A young boy was running and jumping up the gates, and I guess he maybe ended up shooting himself in the leg while he came over the last gate," said neighbor Felicia Wings.
A resident for 10 years, Wings said her own kids heard the gunshot. She worries about other kids in the area.
"And it's sad, because unfortunately, happens too much in this neighborhood," she said. "Unfortunately, we see a lot of boys, a lot of young boys — they're just always out here doing the wrong thing."
This shooting, on Father's Day, happened just blocks from the Puerto Rican Festival in the park of Humboldt Park.
Blocks away at 10 p.m. Saturday, also in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, Chicago police said three men were shot in the legs during a drive-by shooting near California Avenue and Thomas Street.
A 27-year-old man was hit in the left and right legs and was in fair condition at Stroger Hospital of Cook County.
A 42-year-old man was hit in the left calf, and a 45-year-old man was hit in the right leg. Both were in fair condition at Humboldt Park Health.
The victims of the Saturday night shooting are all expected to survive.
Festivalgoers walked by as police photograph the scene Saturday night, collecting information for their investigation. Wings said she wished the teen who was shot the next afternoon could have been at the festival with his dad instead.
"What I would like to see is somewhere with a good picnic, with his dad under a tent, eating barbecue having a good time and listening to music," she said, "not laid out here getting revived."
Detectives late Sunday still investigating both of these incidents. CBS News Chicago has asked for an update on the teen's condition.
