Boy, 15, Held In Detention After Shooting That Wounded 7-Year-Old Girl While Trick-Or-Treating
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 15-year-old boy appeared before a judge on Saturday after he was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a 7-year-old girl when she was trick-or-treating on Thursday.
The boy was taken into custody on Friday, police said. His identity has not been revealed since he is a minor, but Chicago police announced late Friday he faces two felony counts of attempted first degree murder and two felony counts of aggravated battery/discharge of a firearm.
He was charged as a juvenile and appeared in Juvenile Court on Saturday. He was ordered held at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and will be back on court on Tuesday.
That little girl was listed in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the neck as of Saturday morning. She remained hospitalized, but doctors were optimistic about her prognosis, according to Chicago Police Chief Communications Officer Anthony Guglielmi.
On Thursday, the crime prompted Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie Johnson described the act as "savagery" and called those involved cowards.
Cell phone video captured the seven shots that rang out and the chaos afterwards on Halloween on 26th Street near Lawndale Avenue in Little Village. In a spray of gang-related gunfire, a 7-year-old girl, innocently dressed as a ladybug, and trick-or-treating with her father and siblings, was shot in the chest and neck.
Prosecutors said the 15-year-old boy who shot the girl ran into an alley after the shooting, and threw the gun in a trash can, then urinated on his hands in an effort to get rid of gunpowder residue. He also later removed the hoodie he was wearing at the time of the shooting, and gave it to a friend to hide. Police have recovered the clothing.
The family of the young victim released a statement shortly after the shooting, saying, in part, they are "grateful for the outpouring of love and support" and asking for privacy at this time.
A woman, who doesn't want to be identified, said her sister works at the nearby Metro PCS. The sister ushered the injured girl and her father inside, and began applying pressure to her wounds to try and save the child.
Police said the assailant was wearing a white "Jason" mask and was firing at a rival gang. The intended target was a 31-year-old man, who was wounded in the hand, police said.
Police said that man is not cooperating in the investigation.
In the meantime, area business owners and churches are coming together, organizing an upcoming vigil in support of the injured girl.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the recovering girl and describes her current condition as stabilized.
