A 3-year-old boy was accidentally shot while playing cops and robbers on Chicago’s South Side Thursday afternoon and was in critical condition, police and fire officials said.
Firearms and drugs were recovered from the home, police said, and the parents were taken into police custody.
Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi called the shooting a "travesty" in a tweet Thursday night. He said the children were left alone in "deplorable conditions" in the home where the shooting occurred.
The shooting took place on the 6200 block of South Aberdeen Street about 4:58 p.m. in the city’s Englewood neighborhood, according to police.
"It's beyond said," said neighbor and caretaker Myrtle Ann Hughes. "Not only is my mind shocked, so is my heart, because he is a beautiful, polite little boy."
Police would not say who was in the house at the time of the shooting or who might have fired the weapon.
"We can't comment on that--our investigation is still in the early stages at this time," said Chicago police Cmdr. Kenneth Johnson. "First and foremost a child has been injured--it's tragic for family, the child and entire community."
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The boy was taken to Comer’s Children’s Hospital, according to Chicago Fire Department officials.
Area detectives were investigating.
