Teenager charged with shooting 7-year-old boy in Morgan Park

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with shooting a 7-year-old bystander Wednesday afternoon in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the Far South Side.

The teenager, whose identity was not released because of his age, has been charged with one count of aggravated battery with the discharge of a firearm, a felony, according to a statement from Chicago Police.

The 7-year-old boy was walking in the 10900 block of South Loomis about 3:30 p.m. when a male fired shots, striking the boy in the left shoulder, police said.

He was taken to University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, where his condition had stabilized, police said.

Authorities do not believe the boy was the intended target, a police source said.

The teenager was taken into custody after he was identified in connection with the shooting, police said.