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3-Year-Old Boy Shot Multiple Times In Gary

GARY, Ind. (CBS) -- A 3-year-old boy was hospitalized early Wednesday after he was shot in Gary, Indiana. Police said officers responded to reports of a child who was shot while playing with a gun around 2:45 a.m. at Dunes Court Apartments in the 1700 block of East 7th Avenue.

When officers arrived, they found a 3-year-old boy had been shot three times.

Sources tell CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot the child was airlifted to the University of Chicago Medical Center, but his condition is unknown.

"It don't sound right," said neighbor Sam Cooks. "Not if they say -- I really don't know the full story -- but the though of a child pulling a trigger three time? Nah."

Cooks lives next door and said his daughter heard the shots.

"Somebody shot three times and it happened inside the place," he said.

Cooks said his neighbors recently moved into the apartment next door.

Sources said a male was watching the 3-year-old and at least one other child while the boy's mother was a work. That male was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

Police say the person who was in charge of the children at the time of the incident is being questioned by investigators.

"While Gary Police Department takes every shooting incident seriously, when an innocent child is shot the incident is of highest priority. Gary Police Department investigators are diligently pursuing information related to the shooting of a 3-year-old boy early this morning in Gary. The community can rest assured the Gary Police Department is dedicating the full weight of our resources to the investigation and determining exactly how this child came to be shot," Gary Police Chief Brian Evans said in a statement.

Police asked anyone with information on the shooting to call the Gary Police Violent Crimes Division at 219-881-1210 or the Crime Tip Line at 866-CRIME-GP.

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