71-year-old man on sidewalk fatally shot near Chinatown elementary school
CHICAGO - The Chinatown neighborhood is reeling after a 71-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon near an elementary school.
A small group gathered outside the Chinese Christian Union Church and then walked around the block to the scene of the unspeakable crime.
"Pray for hope and healing for the victim, and his family and the children who were rocked and shaken by today," said Chris Javier, a member of the Chinese Christian Union Church.
Police say Woom Sing Tse was walking on the sidewalk when he was shot.
Woom Sing Tse | Courtesy of Legal Help Firm
It happened across the street from Haines Elementary School while school was in session.
"I was actually at recess, I was by the gate of the shooting, and my teacher told me her dad got shot," said Malyaiya White, a 4th grade student.
White says she heard 13 shots fired then they all ran inside screaming and crying.
Her older brother also goes to school at Haines, but was unaware of what the crime outside.
"The announcer said lockdown and really a lot of people were scared — we thought it was a fake practice," said Mekhii White who is in 6th grade.
Police say someone driving by opened fire, striking the Tse. Then, the shooter got out of the car and fired again.
Tse died at a nearby hospital.
The school went on lockdown which lasted all afternoon.
"It was really dark, and my friend was crying and panicking. Others were on their phones. The teacher was terrified as well — she was just sitting there she wasn't saying a thing," said 8th grader Demiyah Johnson.
Police arrested one suspect and recovered a weapon. They were caught on the Kennedy Expressway near Jackson, which is a 10-minute drive from the shooting scene.
The community says they need to see more done — they would like to see a bigger police presence.
