Three people, including a teen boy and girl, were shot and injured late Wednesday on Chicago's South Side, police said.
Family members said 16-year-old Leroy Bryant was among the three shot around 11:15 p.m. in the area of 71st and King Drive.
Bryant's mother, Tequila Robinson, said her son was on his way home from a park district basketball tournament when a gunman emerged from an alley and started shooting.
He was just blocks from home, Robinson said.
"It has to stop," she said. "It has to stop somewhere. I don't know if you have to get more police patrolling in these park districts because here's a kid who's playing sports and then coming home getting caught in the crossfire."
Police said Bryant was walking with a 15-year-old girl who was also shot but is expected to be OK. A 49-year-old man was struck in the groin and is recovering, police said.
Bryant suffered the most serious injuries after being shot seven times in the chest and mid-section. He lost a kidney and a lot of blood, family said.
"It's to the point now you can't even go to the school or walk across the street," Robinson said, "because this gang is into it with this gang, and you're not in a gang but it doesn't matter. They don't know what you are, so they're going to shoot at you anyway."
Police say they're investigating whether the shooting is gang-related.
Bryant's mother said her son isn't in a gang and there's no way her son was the intended target. Bryant is an athlete, she said, and hopes to play football at Hirsch High School when school starts in a few days.
Bryant remained in critical condition after surgery Thursday morning.
