Man Charged in Holiday Shooting of 5-Year-Old Boy

A man was held without bond Sunday after being charged with the shooting of a 5-year-old boy who was injured while celebrating the Fourth of July holiday with his family Thursday, police said.

Darrell Chambers, 24, of the 11700 block of South Peoria Street, was charged Saturday with three counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.

Police said Chambers was "positively identified as the individual who shot a 5-year-old male."

The 5-year-old boy was shot multiple times as he sat with his family at Cooper Park, 11712 S. Ada St., in the West Pullman neighborhood.

Jaden Donald was shot in his stomach and leg just after 12:30 a.m. when someone opened fire on the crowd.

"It makes me want to go in the house with my kids and never come back out," Jaden's mother, Jasmine Dillon Donald, said.

The family was on their way home when they stopped at the park to visit some friends who were there with their children, Dillon Donald said. There were more than 20 young kids with their moms at the park at the time of the shooting, she said.

Jaden was running toward her when he was struck.

Community activist Andrew Holmes said witnesses noticed a group circling the block several times before someone in the vehicle opened fire.

According to officials, the boy remains in critical condition as of Sunday morning.

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