Boy, 15, shot in Heart of Chicago: ‘You just hope nobody innocent gets hurt’

A 15-year-old boy was shot late Sunday in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood on the South Side.

About 11:10 p.m., the boy was walking toward a car when someone inside a minivan drove up and fired shots in the 1800 block of West Cullerton Street, according to Chicago Police.

The boy was struck multiple times in his hips and torso, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition stabilized.

One neighbor who has lived on the block for about 32 years said he and about half a dozen family and friends were sitting outside his house when the shots rang out.

Annie Costabile/Sun-Times

“We were gonna try to get in the house but the door was closed, so we just ducked,” he said, adding that he heard at least three shots. “Everything happens so quick, so it was just like, ‘Get down.’”

The man, who asked not to be identified, added that the block is usually “pretty quiet.” While police investigated the crime scene a few houses away, he continued to congregate outside with the small group of people, which included at least one child and a Chihuahua.

“I mean, this block has always been family-oriented, a lot of us grew up together around here,” he said. “But there’s always something going on, you just hope nobody innocent gets hurt.”

Another neighbor, who also asked not to be named, said she was inside her home of more than 50 years, watching Netflix at the time of the shooting. She came outside when she saw the police lights.

“I don’t like summer ‘cuz all this stuff happens,” she said. “My thing is the fall and winters, because everybody is barricaded inside, safe and sound.”

Area Central detectives were investigating the shooting.

A women watches from a second-floor apartment as police investigate a person shot Sunday night in the 1800 block of West Cullerton. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

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Police investigate a shooting Sunday night in the 1800 block of West Cullerton. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

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Police investigate a shooting Sunday night in the 1800 block of West Cullerton. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

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Bystanders watch as police investigate a person shot, Sunday night in the 1800 block of West Cullerton. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

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A family crosses the street while Chicago Police investigate in the 1800 block of West Cullerton, where a 15-year-old boy suffered multiple gunshot wounds late Sunday, May 27, 2018. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Residents watch Chicago Police investigate in the 1800 block of West Cullerton Street, where a 15-year-old boy suffered multiple gunshot wounds late Sunday, May 27, 2018. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Chicago Police investigate in the 1800 block of West Cullerton Street in the Heart of Chicago, where a 15-year-old boy suffered multiple gunshot wounds late Sunday, May 27, 2018. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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