Girl in Coma After Being Shot in the Head
Off-duty officer helps nab two people suspected in shooting
Wednesday, Mar 17, 2010 | Updated 10:53 PM CST
NBCChicago.com
Desaree Sanders
Roughly 50 family members were in a hospital waiting room Wednesday night, keeping vigil for a 7-year-old girl who was shot in the head as she rode her scooter earlier in the day.
"You hear about it, but today it hit close to home because this is my family," Brenda Ware said, choking back tears.
Ware's cousin, Desaree Sanders, is in an induced coma at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital. She was conscious, though in critical condition, when she was taken there shortly after the being shot at 4:15 p.m. near East 80th Street and South Manistee Avenue, police said.
Sanders wasn't the intended victim.
An off-duty Chicago Police officer was near the scene and helped police nab two people suspected involved.
The gunmen were near East 80th Street and South Marquette Avenue when they began firing east. One of the bullets struck the girl in the head as she rode her scooter outside her grandmother’s home, said South Chicago District police Cmdr. Eric Carter
Debris from bullet-ridden fences still lay in the street Wednesday evening as police washed the girl’s blood from the street.
Several people are being interviewed by police, including the person they believe was the intended target. Investigators said the shooting was likely gang-related.
Calumet Area detectives are investigating, but no charges have been filed Wednesday night.
Copyright SunTimes / NBC Chicago
Posted Wednesday, Mar 17, 2010 - 8:42 PM CST
