CHICAGO — A 17-year-old boy is in critical condition, one of at least 10 people injured in shootings across the South and West sides since Friday night.
The teen was shot about 7:35 p.m. in the city's Bronzeville neighborhood, said Officer Ron Gaines, a police spokesman. The shooting happened near the headquarters of Rainbow/PUSH, the organization headed by the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
The boy was walking in the 4900 block of South Drexel Boulevard when a minivan approached him and someone inside opened fire, Gaines said.
The 17-year-old was shot in his back and was taken to John H. Stroger Hospital in critical condition.
Police said the teen appeared to be a documented gang member.
Following the shooting, Rev. Jesse Jackson prayed with members of the boy's family and spoke to reporters about the issue of gun violence in Chicago. He also accompanied family to Stroger Hospital.
He said the teen would have seen doctors sooner had the University of Chicago had a trauma center, and said more police were needed, saying "they need a better police presence before the shots, not after the shots."
"This is a danger zone," he continued. "[A] combination of the amplification of guns and drugs and cultural lifestyles."
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