Child dead, several injured after woman stabs kids, sets fire in Logan Square: police
1 child dead, 2 others injured in stabbing, fire in Logan Square
A 4-year-old boy is killed in stabbing and fire in Logan Square.
CHICAGO - A woman stabbed three children and set a home on fire in Logan Square on Friday, killing a 4-year-old boy and injuring several others, according to police.
What we know:
On a day meant for celebration, frantic calls were heard over the police scanner as first responders raced to rescue three children who had been stabbed, and were stuck inside a burning building.
The incident happened around 9:12 a.m. in the 3600 block of West Palmer Street.
According to Chicago police, the suspect—a 45-year-old woman—used a knife to stab the children before starting a fire inside the residence. The Chicago Fire Department initially responded to the scene for a medical emergency, but the call was later upgraded to a fire response.
The victims include:
- Jordan Wallace, 4, was stabbed in the chest and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died from his injuries. His identity was released by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office on Friday evening.
- A 10-year-old boy was stabbed in the right arm and taken to Stroger in serious condition.
- A 13-year-old girl was stabbed multiple times in the face, chest and back and taken to Stroger in critical condition.
- A 31-year-old woman from a nearby residence was taken to Stroger in fair condition for smoke inhalation.
- A 34-year-old man from a nearby residence was also taken to Stroger in fair condition for smoke inhalation.
- Three responding officers were taken to nearby hospitals for smoke inhalation.
Chicago police took the woman suspected of attacking the children into custody and transported her to Community First Medical Center. Her identity and any potential charges have not been released.
Police Scanner Audio:
According to police scanner audio, officers arriving at the scene reported seeing a child yelling for help from a basement window.
An officer also reported seeing blood and said the child’s mother was upstairs, armed with a knife. Additional units were requested.
Police are heard describing the scene to a dispatcher, saying at least two people were injured, and the woman was "covered in blood."
Moments later, an officer is heard shouting, "There's a juvenile in there. The building is on fire." The dispatcher responded, "We got fire rolling."
Officers said one juvenile was out of the home, but they were trying to rescue the others.
Police then requested squad cars be moved to allow fire crews access to the scene.
The full scanner audio can be heard below. Disclaimer: The audio shared below may be disturbing to some readers.
Scanner audio details July 4 stabbing, fire in Logan Square
Disclaimer: This scanner audio may be disturbing for some listeners. Scanner audio reveals what happened when Chicago police and fire units responded to a stabbing and fire in Logan Square on the Fourth of July. (Photos: Courtesy of Chicago Fire Dept.)
What they're saying:
The harrowing situation has left neighbors in disbelief. As the community came together in the hours after the incident, the American Red Cross responded to offer their support.
"The majority of what we do is we provide mental health and health service resources," explained Kyle McCoy, disaster action team member, American Red Cross.
Community members shared that the children who were stabbed moved into the building with their parents less than one year ago.
Multiple families were displaced in the fire, which also spread to the building next door.
"They've had a bad time, and we just want to make everybody feel better and feel like they have somebody here for them," McCoy said.
SkyFOX Drone video captured the extent of the damage.
"This house, they can rebuild it, they can rebuild it, you cannot bring the life back," said Carlos Rojas, who is visiting relatives in the area.
Rojas has a young daughter himself.
"Sad, to be honest, super sad," he said.
He is in town visiting relatives who lives down the street from where the incident unfolded and says his heart hurts for the children involved.
"I'm a dad. If something happened to my kids... The kids, they just barely started their life," Rojas said.
What's next:
Further details on what led to the stabbing and fire are unknown at this time.
The investigation is ongoing. We'll bring more updates to this story as they become available.