Teens charged in paintball attack on former Chicago police superintendent
CHICAGO - Two teenage boys have been charged with allegedly shooting a former Chicago police superintendent with a paintball gun outside his Chatham home over Memorial Day weekend.
Police said the boys, a 17-year-old and a 16-year-old, were arrested a week apart and each charged with a felony count of aggravated battery to a person older than 60-years-old.
The dramatic incident was captured on surveillance video.
Terry Hillard, 78, was outside his home around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 29, when a person opened the passenger side door of a red Kia and fired at him, striking the former police superintendent four times on the right side of his chest. Hillard was knocked to the ground but was not seriously injured.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 CHICAGO ON YOUTUBE
The 17-year-old was arrested two days after the attack in the 8400 block of South Gilbert Court in Gresham, police said. The other boy, 16. was arrested June 8 in the 700 block of East 111th Street in Pullman.
A police report did not indicate which of the teens was shooting and which one was driving, according to a police spokeswoman.
It’s still unclear if the attack was targeted or random. There were no other reports of paintball attacks in the area that day, according to a police spokeswoman.
Seemingly random paintball attacks skyrocketed in Chicago in 2020, the Sun-Times has reported. Although rarely fatal, hits from paintballs can cause serious and permanent damage to vulnerable parts of the body, like the eyeball.
A source told the Sun-Times said that if Hillard had been shot in the head instead of his body, the outcome could have been far worse.
Hillard, who was a bodyguard for Mayor Jane Byrne, was superintendent from 1998 to 2003. In 1975, he was shot in the wrist and elbow while arresting a man for assault.
After the paintball attack, Hillard issued a statement saying: "He wants everyone to just be vigilant, be aware, and be safe."
Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.