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A 3-month-old baby was operated on Monday for a chest wound he suffered in a weekend shooting in the parking lot of the Walgreens pharmacy in La Villita, which also left his father injured and his mother struggling to escape and get emergency medical attention for her son.
“Our children are traumatized. They have been traumatized for generations,” said Baltazar Enríquez, from the La Villita Community Council who organized a prayer vigil Sunday near where the shooting occurred.
“We have to do something about it, and today we’re going to do something.”
The child, his father, and mother were leaving their car from the Walgreens pharmacy parking lot around 4:30 p.m. Saturday at 3045 W. 26th St. when two armed men emerged from an old brown SUV that was in front of them, according to a Chicago Police report.
The assailants — armed with a green rifle and a pistol — fired at the family’s Chevrolet Camaro, according to the report.
The father, 21, received several gunshot wounds to his right shoulder and right arm and scrapes on his neck. He fled from the Camaro and ran back to Walgreens. His son suffered a bullet wound to the upper chest, according to the report.
Afterward, the gunmen returned to their SUV and fled down Albany Avenue, according to the report.
The child’s mother sat in the driver’s seat and drove to 24th Street and California Avenue, where she signaled for an ambulance while holding her child in his car seat.
The ambulance transported the baby to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, according to police.
The baby was intubated and his condition stabilized before being transferred to Stroger Hospital for further intensive care, according to the report.
The father declined interviews but did share that his son was going to be operated on Monday morning.
The father was also taken to Mount Sinai Hospital Saturday where he was in critical condition but has since been discharged.
The parking lot where the shooting occurred serves several businesses, including Discount Mall, Walgreens pharmacy, Ross store, a health clinic, and several restaurants. On the sidewalk near the parking lot there are vendor stalls.
A vendor who was working Saturday afternoon said she had heard “at least 15″ shots before seeing people flee the area.
A dozen 9mm shell casings and nine rifle casings were recovered from the scene.
Police have not shared updated information about the investigation.
Translated by Gisela Orozco for La Voz Chicago
