Boy Shot While Watching TV Expected to Be OK
Stray bullet came through 8-year-old's window
Englewood home."/>
An 8-year-old boy was shot while he watched TV with his brother on the second floor of his Englewood home.
An 8-year-old boy shot Wednesday night when at least one bullet came through the a window of his second-floor Englewood home is expected to be OK.
Jonmel Galloway was with a teenage brother watching television when he was hit just before 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. Their mother was asleep in another room.
Galloway was taken from the house, in the 6500 block of S. Green St., to the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital in critical condition, a Fire Media Affairs spokesman said.
Struck in the back and arm, the bullet narrowly missed Galloway's vital organs.
"He definitely is a lucky little boy, and definitely things could have been a lot worse than they were," said Dr. Tracy Koogler.
The baseball-loving student is expected to make a full physical recovery, but the incident could have long-term effects.
"Unfortunately, I think the psychological healing from being at home, which should be a safe location, and sustaining a gunshot wound could actually, unfortunately, be a lifetime," Dr. Koogler said.
The gunman fled after the shooting and nobody is in custody early Thursday. Police said they aren't sure if the home was the intended target.
Galloway's father, Walter Walker, said he believes that shooting was gang-related and asked anyone with information on who shot his son to come forward to police.
Walker said he now plans to pack up his family and move to another neighborhood.
"It's up to everyone to be concerned about a child that's injured or killed," Mayor Richard Daley said Thursday morning. "America's losing their conscience and values over how important children are."
Copyright SunTimes / NBC Chicago
Posted Thursday, Jul 16, 2009 - 2:32 PM CST
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