A 10-year-old Chicago boy was killed and a 50-year-old man was left in critical condition after a shooting in Gary, Indiana, early Sunday, according to police. Officers had responded to a report of shots at 12:49 a.m., and an earlier shooting in the same city
The night in Gary turned fast, and by the time police could stitch together what happened, the damage was already irreversible.
Around 12:49 a.m. Sunday, Gary police responded to a report of someone being shot. While officers were at the scene, a 50-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy arrived at a local hospital with gunshot wounds, police said. The boy died at the hospital.
The man was taken to a Chicago-area hospital for treatment once he was stabilized, but he remains in critical condition, police said. Police did not release the name of the boy or the 50-year-old man.
In a statement, Gary police called the death of a child “a heartbreaking tragedy” that affects “not only the victim’s loved ones, but the entire community,” adding that investigators are “committed to pursuing those responsible and bringing justice to the victims and their families.”
An investigation into the 12:49 a.m. shooting is ongoing. Anyone with information can call Gary detectives at 219-755-3720.
About 15 minutes earlier, police were also called to a separate report of a shooting near 19th Avenue and Hanley Street. In that earlier incident, Gary police said six gunshot victims had already taken themselves to Methodist Northlake Hospital. Investigators say that case is also still under investigation, and they can be reached at 219-881-1209.
For families in a city where two investigations can start within minutes, the unanswered questions land hard: what tied the incidents together, whether anyone saw the first shots, and how quickly the next family will be spared the call that something went wrong.
Gary Indiana shooting Chicago boy killed 50-year-old critically injured Gary police investigation Methodist Northlake Hospital 19th Avenue and Hanley Street