Police believe road rage may have sparked a shooting that left a nearly 2-year-old child shot on Lake Shore Drive near Chicago's popular Grant Park Tuesday morning.
Authorities said the toddler was shot in the head when an incident near East Waldron and Lake Shore Drive "escalated into shots being fired for two blocks." The vehicle the child was riding in then headed north on Lake Shore Drive before crashing near Monroe, police said.
"There was a dispute possibly over somebody not letting somebody over into a lane of traffic," Cmdr. Jake Alderden said during a news conference, adding that the people in the two vehicles did not appear to know each other.
Witnesses reported hearing shots fired before the crash. A female passenger was then seen getting out of the vehicle with an infant while shouting "my baby," witnesses said.
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A Good Samaritan who stopped after the crash drove the child to Northwestern Hospital. The child was transferred to Lurie Children's Hospital in critical condition, according to authorities. Doctors at the hospital said Tuesday afternoon that the boy was in "grave condition."
An investigation was ongoing as of Tuesday morning. Police had not yet released information about a suspect, suspects or any vehicles that may have been involved, but said more information was expected.
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Authorities said a weapon was recovered from someone who was inside the vehicle the child was riding in, but it remained unclear if that weapon was used.
Two left lanes of northbound Lake Shore Drive were blocked at Monroe Drive following the shooting and crash.
Check back for more on this developing story.
