Chicago boy, 15, fatally shot in the head while walking home from school; 2 arrested
CHICAGO - A 15-year-old boy was shot twice in the head Tuesday afternoon while walking home from school on Chicago’s South Side, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
Around 3:15 p.m., Michael Brown was near a sidewalk in the 3300 block of S. Prairie Ave. in the Douglas neighborhood when an offender approached him, pulled out a gun and fired shots.
The teen was struck in the head and transported to Comer Children’s Hospital initially in critical condition, police said. He was later pronounced dead.
Michael Brown, 15 | Courtesy of Legal Help Firm
Not long after the shooting, Chicago police say two persons of interest were taken into custody near 63rd and State Street in the Grand Crossing neighborhood.
A woman who works at a coffee shop near the shooting said the area is a "friendly neighborhood" but gun violence is "just getting out of hand and something has to give. And kids can’t walk home from school because people are acting crazy.
"Living in Chicago, you’re going to fear for your safety regardless whether it’s going to work or coming home from the store," said the worker, who wanted to be identified only by her first name, Lena. "You can’t even go to a gas station to get gas or pick your child up without worrying about that. So I just try to stay alert and watch my surroundings while I’m outside."
Area detectives continue to investigate.
Around 4:10 p.m., a 16-year-old boy was shot in the head in the 6200 block of South Greenwood Avenue. Police said someone walked up to him and opened fire, then fled into a home on the block.
The boy was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. A friend said the boy was alert when he was placed into the ambulance.
She said her friend was a "very spirited spirited kid" who wasn’t involved in gangs and had recently moved to Chicago from Minnesota, against the advice from his family.
"I kept telling them that it was gonna be OK," said the woman, who is 20 but did not want to be named. "He came over here to spread his wings.
"He’s a great helper, he likes to help us emotionally," she said. "He’s always there for his friends, he’s very protective."
Police said they were questioning a person of interest.
Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.