A 6-year-old girl who was seriously wounded in a shooting on Chicago’s South Side last month received a special gift Thursday from the Chicago Police Department.
Tacarra Morgan was playing with her family in front of her home in the 6000 block of South Paulina in the city’s West Englewood neighborhood around 1 p.m. on July 19 when shots rang out, police said.
Tacarra suffered gunshot wounds to the stomach and was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in serious condition, undergoing surgery that same day.
She returned home to a party in her honor one week later, with presents from friends, family, and even strangers. Chicago police officers were in attendance, and one well-wisher bought the young girl a new bike that she promptly rode during the festivities.
But one of the most meaningful gifts came Thursday, when Chicago police officers fulfilled a promise to give Tacarra a pool. They even came to set it up in her backyard, even asking the Chicago Fire Department to fill it with water, which they did with no hesitation.
"We were so grateful that the police took their money, their time to buy the pool, put the pool up, I really appreciate it," her mother Carolyn Morris said.
"It's still scary, but I think I am more scared than her," she added.
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"I like my pool," Tacarra said, thanking the officers for her new gift.
"This is a child, like any other child in the city of Chicago, who should be able to enjoy a warm summer day and play in front of her house and play on her porch with her family," Chicago Police First Deputy Superintendent John Escalante said after the shooting.
