After claiming the life of a 31-year-old astrophysicist from the UK, stray bullets in the US have found another victim. Well, this time, it is an 8-year-old Chicago girl.
The girl was shot in the head while walking with her mother. She was killed by a gunman, who was targeting someone else on the city’s southwest side.
The young victim has been identified by the medical examiner’s office of the Cook County as Melissa Ortega on Sunday.
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According to the police report, the victim was walking on the street with her mother on Saturday afternoon at the time of the incident.
She was killed when someone fired shots at a 26-year-old alleged gang member, who was leaving a nearby store, said a report of the Chicago Sun-Times. The police believe that he was the intended target.
On Saturday, the girl was pronounced dead at a hospital.
In the incident, the target was also shot in the back and hospitalised in critical condition, the police said.
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Authorities do not have an update on his condition. No arrests have been made in the case till now.
The tragic and senseless murder of 8-year-old Melissa has shaken our city. There are no words of comfort when a child’s life is cut short. There are no words that can describe the grief of a family. CPD will not rest until the perpetrators are brought to justice.
— Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown (@ChiefDavidBrown) January 23, 2022
Police Superintendent David Brown said the department “will not rest until the perpetrators” are brought to justice.
“The tragic and senseless murder of 8-year-old Melissa has shaken our city. There are no words of comfort when a child’s life is cut short. There are no words that can describe the grief of a family,” he tweeted on Sunday.
(With inputs from agencies)
