'Operation Wake-Up' held in Calumet Heights after school playground shooting

FOX 32 NEWS - Two young girls were shot Friday on a school playground in Chicago.

A 13-year-old and a 7-year-old were attending an end of the school year picnic at Warren Elementary when they were hit. It’s a shooting that has incensed the neighborhood.

This crime against these two little girls rocked the community. And on Tuesday night, concerned residents of the Calumet Heights neighborhood met with Chicago police to find out what they could do.

“Friday I was a little upset, more than upset. We are sitting in an area where the innocence of two children was taken away from them,” said Commander Noel Sanchez.

Chicago police and community leaders are urging the public to get involved.

"I want to continue to do the best job I can for all of my entire Ward, but it starts one individual at a time, so when you see something say something,” said Alderman Greg Mitchell.

This 'Operation Wake-Up' rally comes just days after two girls were shot while attending an end of the year school picnic at Warren Elementary.

The girls, ages 13 and 7, are expected to be okay. Tyrone White's 7-year-old daughter Jayla was hit in the leg.

"She was doing better than me. I was crying, so angry,” White said.

Police say the girls were not the intended targets, but the shooters were allegedly aiming at several former students hanging around the picnic.

Three people are now facing attempted murder charges, including 19-year-old Raekwon Hudson and two teenage boys.

Residents filled the elementary school lot with concerns.

“I've been living out here 30 years and first time I ever heard gunshots,” said resident Robert Rockymore.

"More police, more police gotta be out here, more police got to be out there, that’s all I can say. It’s like they got more guns than the police got or something,” said resident Wazetta Ali.

District Commander Noel Sanchez is urging those sitting in the school yard Tuesday night to take back their streets.

“I’m not going to tell you it’s easy being a policeman because we need your help,” Sanchez said.

The man charged in the shooting last Friday is being held without bond. The two teen boys are said to be a flight risk and are also in custody.

So far this year, there have been more than 1600 people shot in Chicago and 305 homicides.