A disabled Chicago man was shot while waiting for the bus to go to school Wednesday morning.
Philip Rega and his children were at the bus stop in front of their home when three people approached and began chanting gang chants, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He was about to call 911 when shots rang out, nearly 40 rounds by police count.
His eldest son, Jesús Rega, 21, was hit three times, including one to the head, police said. The father and his other 15-year-old son were not injured.
Jesus was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where he underwent surgery.
CHICAGO ALDERMAN SOUNDS ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE AFTER SPECIAL NEEDS MAN SHOT IN HEAD WAITING FOR SCHOOL BUS
Jesús Rega, 21, was shot three times, one to the head, while waiting for a bus in Chicago.
(provided by the family)
“At the moment he is alive and well, thank God,” Philip told the newspaper. “But he’s not out of the woods yet. He’ll be in the hospital for at least a few more weeks.”
Chicago police said during a news conference that the shooting happened around 6:38 a.m. in the 4700 block of South Wolcott.
“Because they were shouting gang slogans [we believe] that’s an effort to identify if the victims in this case were in fact gang members, which they were not,” Chicago Police Commander Don Jerome said.
Even so, the gang members opened fire. Some of the bullets reportedly even hit houses down the block. The suspects ran north and no arrests have been made.
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Chicago’s gunshot detection system registered 39 rounds and multiple casings were found at the scene, Jerome said.
(FOX 32 Chicago)
“It’s terribly cheeky,” said Philip. “No one should be shot, let alone shot while standing [and] waiting for a school bus. No father should see his children shot like this.”
Police believe the Regas attack is also related to another shooting that occurred a few hours later nearby, although no one was injured in that incident.
Chicago Police Commander. Don Jerome told reporters that the gang members walked toward Rega and her children in the 4700 block of South Wolcott Avenue around 6:40 a.m.
(FOX 32 Chicago)
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Last week, a 45-year-old man was shot and killed in the same neighborhood, known as Back of the Yards, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
The police continue to investigate. Anyone with information about the shooting can call Area 1 detectives at 312-747-8380.
