June 8, 2011: A 2-year-old was grazed by a bullet and a 7-year-old was shot in the back while they were playing in a sprinkler, trying to stay cool.
A man is in custody after a shooting injured two young girls playing in a park in the city's Avondale neighborhood on the northwest side, police said.
The shooting occurred shortly before 8 p.m. Wednesday at Avondale Park, at 3516 W. School St.
The youngest girl, just 2 years old, was grazed by a bullet. The other, a 7 year old, was more seriously injured with a gunshot to the back. Police say the girls were playing in a sprinkler, trying to stay cool.
"I seen a paramedic carrying a little girl. She was crying. She blacked in and out, and you could see that she had a gunshot on her side," said witness Dan Sosinski.
A police sergeant said the two girls were taken to Children's Memorial Hospital.
Witnesses said they saw someone pull up in a van and fire on a group of people playing basketball. The girls were apparently caught in the crossfire.
A neighbor said she's asked the Chicago Park District to install cameras in the area but was told they were too expensive.
No charges have been filed against the suspect.
