Girl, 17, shot in face while driving in East Chicago, Indiana

Police said the girl was not the intended target.

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A teenage girl was shot Jan. 2, 2020 in the 4800 block of Walsh Street in East Chicago, Indiana.

A teenage girl was shot Jan. 2, 2020 in the 4800 block of Walsh Street in East Chicago, Indiana.

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A teenage girl was in serious condition after being shot in her face Thursday while driving in East Chicago in northwest Indiana.

Police said the 17-year-old girl was not the intended target.

She was driving in the 4800 block of Walsh Street about 5:45 p.m. when she was struck by gunfire in the side of her face, East Chicago police said in a news conference.

She crashed her car and then exited the vehicle, police said. She tried to make it to a family member’s house, but fell down in the middle of the block.

Paramedics took her to Northlake Hospital in Gary in serious condition, police said. She was expected to be flown to another hospital.

Police said her car and another parked car were damaged by gunfire. No one is in custody.

Media outlets reported the girl was 17 years old. East Chicago police did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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