Shooting during July 4th celebration leaves Chicago boy, 7, dead
CHICAGO -- Gunfire in the middle of a Fourth of July celebration Saturday night has left a 7-year-old boy dead, reports CBS Chicago.
Police say the child, Amari Brown, was shot after someone opened fire just before midnight Saturday in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. He was pronounced dead early Sunday at Stroger Hospital.
Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said Sunday at a news conference that the boy's father, a "ranking gang member," had been the intended target. No one was in custody Sunday.
The boy's father, Antonio Brown, has been arrested 45 times, reports CBS Chicago.
He was not cooperating with investigators as they tried to find his
son's killer, McCarthy said.
"It's crazy. Like who would shoot a 7-year-old? He got shot in the chest. Who would do that? To a baby?," Amari's grandmother, 52-year-old Vida Hailey asked, according to the station. "All the kids that are getting killed out here - it's crazy. When is it going to stop?"
Family members held an afternoon prayer vigil for the young victim on Sunday, according to the station. An organization is reportedly offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.
At the same time as Amari's shooting, there was reportedly another victim -- a 26-year-old woman who was shot in the chest. She was also taken to Stroger, where she was stabilized.
Chicago police say multiple shootings over the weekend left eight others dead and 53 others injured, according to the Chicago Sun Times.