Mom shot in head while driving with kids in car reportedly not doing well in hospital

DOLTON (Fox 32 News) - A Dolton mother of four is clinging to life after she was shot by a stray bullet while driving down Sibley Boulevard Wednseday night.

The occupants of two vehicles traded shots with each other, and at least one of those bullets hit Marshia Bowman in the head. She drove a few blocks, then her van crashed into a tree.

The shooting happened in front of Bowman's children who were riding in a red van with her.

"Nice little girls, you know. They don't give anybody problems over there and for something like that to happen to their mom, you know just right out of the blue, that's something terrible," said Chester Hill, Bowman's neighbor.

By all accounts, people know Bowman as a loving mother who regularly attends church.

"More prayers are going up for her tonight and today, as long as she's in there and I hope she pulls through," said Gladys Bell who lives across the street from Bowman.

Bowman is reportedly not doing well at the University of Chicago Medical Center Thursday night.

"I was very upset when I heard, like I told them earlier, it's wasteless. You know accidents happen, but that didn't have to happen," said Bell.

Also this week, Dolton police chasing robbery suspects got into a gun battle along Sibley Boulevard. One officer and one suspect were injured.

Also on Thursday, there was more disturbing violence as a speeding car wound up inside a house at Cottage Grove and Lincoln. A little girl is lucky to be OK. She was asleep on a couch right on the other side of a now-boarded up wall. Her mom said shots were being fired from a car when the driver of another vehicle lost control and crashed into their home.