A 7-year-old Chicago girl who was out trick-or-treating with her family on Halloween was critically injured after being struck by apparent stray gunfire, police said.
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The child, who was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition on Thursday evening, “is believed to be an unintended victim after multiple offenders opened fire,” according to Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
“We heard the shots,” Lali Lara, who works in a nearby cellphone store, told the Chicago Tribune. “The girl’s father was screaming, ‘My little girl’s been shot.’”
John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune via AP
A 30-year-old man was also shot and taken to a local hospital, according to Guglielmi. His condition was unknown.
The shooting occurred on a packed street in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, on the city’s West Side, where dozens of kids dressed in costumes were trick-or-treating for Halloween.
“This is unacceptable,” Chicago Police Sgt. Rocco Alioto told The Associated Press. “A 7-year-old girl that was trick-or-treating with her family had to get shot because a group of guys want to shoot at another male.”
The incident remains under investigation.