A 6-year-old girl who was attending a birthday party at a South Side church was shot Saturday — making her at least the eighth child younger than 16 to be shot in Chicago this week, according to police.
The Lazaro Cardenas Elementary School student had been with her mother at True Christian Fellowship Church, 7234 S. Racine Ave. in Englewood, celebrating a birthday, according to a report from Chicago police. She had been “near the street” around 6:30 p.m. when she was shot in the left upper arm, according to an online media notification and the police report.
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“The victim was struck while running behind a vehicle that was parked in front of the church,” according to the police report.
The 6-year-old was taken to St. Bernard Hospital where she had been listed in good condition.
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Officers responded to the area when they received a notification from ShotSpotter, the city’s gunshot detection system. One witness reported hearing “multiple gunshots” and seeing a man they didn’t know “on a bike quickly riding southbound on Racine while the shots were still being fired,” the report states.
Authorities believe the shooting may have been gang-related, but the report said: “There is no indication that the birthday party was the intended target of the shooting.”
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More than a dozen shell casings later were found at the scene.
Police said no arrests have been made and the shooting remains under investigation.
The 6-year-old is the most recent child to be shot in the city, at least the eighth this week alone. The Englewood shooting came just days after seven children were shot in the city in less than 17 hours.
Chicago Public Schools return from summer break Monday.
Chicago Tribune editor Rosemary Sobol contributed.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
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