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Teen Slain In Back Of The Yards Shooting

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A teenager was shot and killed Sunday afternoon, when someone opened fire with an assault rifle outside a Catholic church in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy said the victim was walking east in the 1700 block of West 46th Street around 1:30 p.m. when a light-colored Saturn sedan drove up, and someone inside started shooting. Roy said the victim tried to run away, but was shot several times, and died instantly.

The shooting happened across the street from Holy Cross Immaculate Heart of Mary church, and services were letting out when the shooting happened, but Roy said there was no indication the church or parishioners were targeted.

Roy said it appeared the shooter used a high-powered semi-automatic assault rifle.

"There's literally dozens of empty shell-casings on the street," he said. "This is indicative of the level of violence that we see on a day-to-day basis."

The shooting appeared to be gang-related, according to Roy. He said he could not confirm witness statements the attack might have been related to other recent shootings in the area, "but that is certainly the investigative theory that our detectives are working on as they pursue this case."

For Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th), it was surreal to think the shooting happened minutes after Sunday afternoon mass across the street.

"That church is packed to the gills when people come out of mass, and to have a gang member with a semi-automatic rifle unloading on a target; bullets don't always hit their targets. He could've hit hundreds of innocent bystanders. We have to get these weapons off the block," he said.

Roy said police have contacted the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and the Chicago Public Schools to make sure the Holy Cross school and Seward Communication Arts Academy Elementary School across the street to make sure they have sufficient resources at the start of the school day on Monday.

"It's horrible. I mean, every time, we have to hug each other and say 'I love you. Be safe.' You don't know if this is the last time you're going to see somebody," neighbor Sharon Bolsega said.

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