Teen released without charges in shooting of 2yearold boy in North Lawndale home
Dec 27, 2024
A 17-year-old boy was released from custody without being charged in connection with the shooting of a 2-year-old boy Thursday in a North Lawndale home.Officers were called just after 4 p.m. to a home in the 3800 block of West 14th Street, where they found the toddler suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, Chicago police said.He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he underwent two surgeries and remained in critical condition as of Friday night, according to community activist Andrew Holmes.“This happened during a gathering from what I understand,” Holmes said. He spoke with one of the boy’s family members, who Holmes said was “very distraught” at the hospital Thursday night."Right now I'm just trying to figure out whose hands was that gun in," Holmes said Friday night. "The first concern is the child's health but second, who discharged that gun?"The teen was taken into police custody but wasn't charged, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. He has a court date scheduled in January.A weapon was recovered at the scene.A woman declined to comment Friday morning when a reporter knocked on the door of the home where the shooting occurred.Many details of the incident remained scant a day later, but Holmes added, “We’ve just got to be cautious around our babies and [know] who has these weapons."EDITOR'S NOTE: This corrects an earlier version of this story posted online Friday morning which stated the 17-year-old had been charged with obstruction of justice and child endangerment. That information had been provided by Chicago police.