A five-month-old girl has been reported dead after being shot in the head while sitting in a car with her father in Chicago on June 24.
According to ABC News, the deadly shooting occurred around 6:45 PM in the 7700 block of S. Shore. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified her later as Cecilia Thomas. She was being driven home and seated in the back seat when an unidentified vehicle approached and opened fire from inside the car. Cecilia was tragically shot in the head. The father immediately pulled over nearby and called for help; despite the girl being rushed to Comer Children’s Hospital, she succumbed to her injuries after attempting to be treated.
In the same shooting, a 41-year-old male in a separate vehicle also suffered injuries. The second victim had a gunshot wound in the orbital area. He then drove himself to the University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment and is now reported to be in stable condition.
No suspects have been taken into custody, and authorities have given no details on the motives of the shootings. ABC News reported that police are investigating surveillance cameras to find footage to identify those responsible for the shooting.
Victim advocate and crisis responder Andrew Holmes said, “You just took this baby’s [Cecilia] life. This baby was an infant. This baby didn’t do nothing to you,” Holmes added. “We understand it may have been two cars shooting back and forth at each other.”
He continued, “That’s a five-month-old baby. Nine months she [her mother] carried that baby, nourished that baby. And it takes a damn fool to discharge that weapon and take a baby’s life.”
“I hope you don’t have no children yourself. Because if you do, you shouldn’t sleep at night,”
The Chicago Police Department has documented 282 homicides in 2022, and it’s only June. Gun violence is persistent and especially dominant in major cities like Chicago and Detroit, where specific communities within them are underserved.