Midway, Chicago Lawn & Ashburn

Crime & Mayhem

Four-Year-Old Girl Shot By Men Possibly Gunning For Her Family, Cops Say

July 29, 2013 5:53pm | Updated July 30, 2013 11:17am
4-Year-Old Girl, Man Shot on Southwest Side
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CHICAGO — A 4-year-old girl was shot Monday in Chicago Lawn by two men who might have been targeting the child's family, police said.

The men came out of an alley, and one took out a gun before shooting the girl and a 31-year-old man in the 7100 block of South Rockwell Street about 4:56 p.m., police and fire department spokesmen said.

The girl, identified by family as Khalise Weatherspoon, was shot in her abdomen and taken to Holy Cross Hospital before being transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was in good condition after the shooting, fire department officials said.

The man was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, the fire department said.

A police source said that the men were not likely targeting the girl, but might have been after her family, some of whom are known gang members.

As of Tuesday morning, no one was in custody. A detailed description of the suspects was not available.

Khalise was identified by Richard Spires, 49, who identified himself as her grandfather at the hospital.

Spires said he came to the hospital after getting a call from his son that his "grandbaby was shot."

"It's senseless. It's really crazy. It's the shootout at the O.K. Corral," Spires said, adding that his granddaughter's condition was stable.

The unidentified 31-year-old man was shot in his inner thigh.

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