An 18-month-old boy was killed and his mother was slightly injured Thursday night when they were caught in a spray of gunfire on the city’s West Side.
The boy, identified as Maurice Young, died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to a Cook County Hospital spokesman. The mother, Sara Young, 17, was in fair condition with a gunshot wound to her leg, the spokesman said.
The mother and child were shot about 6:30 p.m. in front of an apartment building in the 3600 block of West Chicago Avenue, according to witnesses. The family lived nearby, in the 800 block of North Monticello Avenue, officials said.
Police Sgt. Gino Saenz said two males jumped out of a car and started shooting at a man who was walking down the street. The man they were shooting at returned fire, he said.
The mother and baby were caught in the cross-fire.
Police recovered a weapon they believe may have been used in the shooting from a building at 3636 W. Chicago Ave., Saenz said.
A man who lives nearby said he was eating his dinner when he heard seven or eight shots.
“I ran to the front window, and I saw the baby lying on the ground with a lot of blood around,” said the man, who asked that his name not be used. “Then the mother started screaming, `My baby. My baby. Get my baby.’ “
The man, who knew Young, said the mother and son were on their way home when the shooting occurred.