Just days after a 10-year-old girl was shot while at a Chicago park with friends, her heartbroken father on Friday appealed for help to find whoever shot his beloved daughter.
La'Mya Sparks was with other children Wednesday night at Russell Square Park in the city's South Chicago neighborhood when someone approached the group and opened fire, striking Sparks, police said.
The 10-year-old's friend turned around to find her on the ground.
"The friend that was on the side of her, he took his shirt off and put it on her wound and told her calm down, and she got shot," said Lawrence Sparks, the young girl's father.
La'Mya Sparks was hit in the back and rushed to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was listed in serious condition. As of Friday, she was barely awake and relying on a feeding tube.
The young girl had several injuries, her father said, including a damaged kidney, punctured lung and a lower spine bone fracture.
Community members and activists have rallied around Sparks' family, calling on the shooter to turn himself in.
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"Whoever this guy is, it was senseless," Lawrence Sparks said. "He shot a kid. He shot in a park where kids are."
A $4,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the shooter's arrest.
The incident remains under investigation by Area Two detectives. Anyone with information is urged to submit an anonymous tip to the Chicago Police Department.
