Children Among 3 Injured in Gas Station Shooting

A 3-year-old girl was injured by shattered glass and a 4-year-old boy was among three people wounded in a Brighton Park neighborhood shooting late Tuesday on the Southwest Side.

The group was at a gas station about 10:45 p.m. in the 3500 block of South California when someone in a dark-colored SUV fired shots in their direction, according to Chicago Police.

Fire officials said emergency crews found the victims near the intersection of 38th Street and Francisco.

The boy suffered a graze wound to the left forearm, police said. The girl suffered injuries to her face from shattered glass, but was not struck by gunfire. They were both taken to Stroger Hospital, where their conditions were stabilized.

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the back and an 18-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the right hand, police said. They were both taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where the boy was listed in critical condition and the man’s condition was stabilized. A police source said they were both documented gang members.

“They are very, very lucky these kids are still living,” community anti-violence activist Andrew Holmes told reporters at the scene.

Holmes said the car had been “riddled with bullets” and that he hoped the multiple surveillance cameras at the gas station and a nearby city camera could help identify the shooter. He also urged anyone who may have witnessed the shooting to contact police.

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