Teen charged in Chicago shooting that wounded 4 young boys
Chicago Police investigating multiple Bronzeville shootings
Police are investigating two separate shootings in Bronzeville. Several people were hurt, including teenagers. Joanie Lum is live outside police headquarters with the very latest.
CHICAGO - A 13-year-old boy has been charged after police said he shot and wounded four other boys on the city's South Side over the weekend.
What we know:
According to police, the juvenile suspect was arrested at 9:56 p.m. Saturday in the 4600 block of South Calumet Avenue in the Bronzeville neighborhood. He was identified as the person who, about 20 minutes earlier, shot four boys in the nearby 4500 block of South Prairie Avenue.
The victims were an 11-year-old boy, two 13-year-old boys and a 14-year-old boy.
The suspect faces four felony counts of aggravated battery involving the discharge of a firearm, one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon for possessing a firearm while under 18, and one felony count related to possessing a firearm without a valid FOID card.
What they're saying:
Bronzeville resident Noah Stewart said he encountered young people running through the neighborhood as he was driving home.
"And I rolled down my window of my car and I asked them, ‘hey, girls, what are you guys running from?’ They're like, 'there's a shooting, there's a shooting,'" Stewart said. "I said, ‘what?’ 'There's a shooting.' You know, they're frantic."
Stewart said the shooting involving children was especially troubling.
"I feel as an educator myself, young people, that hurts more than anything," he said. "My young people, we used to have fun. We want people to go home, everybody to go home to their parents. It hurts deeply."
Neighbor Daniel Bravemonk Haywood said he was saddened to learn the victims were so young.
"But now I'm hearing it was like, you know, 12–13, so for me… condolences and, and my heart goes out," Haywood said.
Third Ward Ald. Pat Dowell issued a statement following the weekend violence in Bronzeville, calling for greater accountability from both parents and social media companies.
"Parents must be accountable. The attention our young people seek must be found first in the home," Dowell said. "We must hold social media companies accountable. Social media companies are enabling this behavior."
What we don't know:
It remains unclear what led up to the shooting.
What's next:
The 13-year-old suspect is due in court for a juvenile detention hearing on Monday.
The Source: The information in this story came from the Chicago Police Department and previous FOX Chicago reporting.