Zee Media Bureau
Chicago: As many as 13 people, including a three-year-old child, were shot in a park located in Chicago, US President Barack Obama`s adopted hometown that has been struggling to stem gang violence
The incident occurred at the city`s Back of the Yards neighbourhood on Thursday night.
Chicago Fire Department officials said the child was in critical condition. Two other victims were also in critical condition. The others were reported in serious to fair condition.
Chicago police officer Amina Greer said the shootings occurred at about 10:15 pm.
There were no immediate reports of fatalities, Greer said, and no suspects were in custody.
A witness, Julian Harris, told the Chicago Sun-Times men fired at him from a gray sedan before turning toward Cornell Square Park and firing at people in the area. He said his three-year-old nephew was wounded in the cheek.
Police spokesman Ron Gaines says victims are being interviewed.
According to Greer, at least 10 ambulances responded to the scene, transporting victims to several area hospitals. One victim transported himself to a hospital, police said.
The shooting comes nearly three weeks after Chicago saw an outburst of violence over the Labor Day weekend that ended with eight dead and 20 others injured. The city’s Police Department has responded to shootings that have grabbed national headlines by stepping up its crime-fighting efforts, paying overtime to add patrols to some neighborhoods, including the Back of the Yards, where Thursday’s shooting took place.
Obama returned to his adopted hometown earlier this year to appeal for an end to the "senseless" gun violence ravaging Chicago as he pressed for ambitious gun control measures, which so far have been stalled in the US Congress.
(With Agency inputs)
