7-year-old grazed, woman charged after gun goes off at Chicago's Walt Disney Magnet School
CHICAGO - A 28-year-old woman is charged in a shooting incident at a Chicago elementary school Tuesday morning in the Buena Park neighborhood.
Tatanina Kelly is facing three misdemeanor counts of child endangerment after a student found her gun and brought it to Walt Disney Magnet school in the Buena Park neighborhood located at 4140 N. Marine Drive.
A 7-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet around 10 a.m., when a gun that was in another classmate's backpack accidentally discharged and the bullet ricocheted, grazing him in the abdomen, officials said.
He was taken to Lurie Children's Hospital where he was listed in good condition, officials said.
Kelly is the mother of the 8-year-old child who brought the gun to shool, police said.
Parents and guardians rushed to the school after hearing there was a shooting on campus.
"Someone had a gun. All I heard was there was a gun and I came flying here," said parent Jennifer Uribe.
A school official called 911, reporting a gun on campus.
"The student said his mother's boyfriend put the gun in the bag," the dispatcher said. "One student has some kind of scrape on his stomach but they don't know how or where it happened and they did not want an ambulance."
"It's shocking for one for a little kid to have a gun, something that should be hard for an adult to have at a school.. all these things going on at schools. It's frightening," said Edwina Watkins, a student’s grandmother.
Walt Disney Magnet School Principal Paul Riskus released the following statement to families: "This morning during school hours, a gun was accidentally discharged on school grounds. The gun discharged in a backpack and hit the floor, causing some damage and releasing debris. Our staff immediately intervened, secured the gun, and contacted the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and the CPS Office of Safety and Security. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured and everyone is safe. CPD responded to our school quickly and confiscated the gun. We are working closely with the CPS Office of Safety and Security to make a safety plan moving forward.
Please know that we are taking this situation extremely seriously, and CPD is investigating this incident. Many students are aware of this incident. If your child voices any fears or worries, or you notice a change in their behavior, please let us know and we can provide them with extra support. If you or your child ever see any concerning behavior, please contact a trusted adult at the school immediately so we can report the information to CPD."