A 31-year-old man crashed into a parked car after someone shot him in the head as he drove near a Little Village elementary school on Tuesday morning, Chicago Police said.
It happened about 8:40 a.m. in the 2700 block of South Ridgeway Avenue, around the corner from the Little Village Academy elementary school, 2620 S. Lawndale Ave.
After being shot, the motorist lost control of the vehicle and then crashed into a parked car as the assailant fled the scene. No one else was hurt.
The victim was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, said police, who added no arrests had been made.
Lillian Lazu, Principal of Little Village Elementary said in a statement the attack had nothing to do with the school and an earlier lockdown had been lifted.
“Safety continues to be my top priority, which is why I am writing to address a situation impacting our school day,” Lazu said in the statement. “We placed our school on lockdown today in response to police activity near our school building. This activity is unrelated to our school, and all of our students and staff members are safe,” Lazu said in the statement.
“At the moment, there is still some police presence in the area. I want to reassure you that I was in close contact with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and the CPS Office of Safety and Security,” Lazu said in the statement.
“CPD informed us that it has determined that it is safe to lift our lockdown.”
As classes let out about 3 p.m., parents and teachers streamed quickly from school but some stopped to share their reactions. Gigi Tolentino, whose 4-year-old daughter Angela attends Head Start at the school, were concerned.
“As a parent, (we are) very worried…you’re bringing your kids to school and then you’re dropping off not knowing what’s going on, and it’s unfortunate that that happened, and especially in front of a school where a lot of kids come to school,” Tolentino, 35, told the Sun-Times.
Tolentino also said she would have liked to have been more informed, such as by email or phone calls “as soon as something happens.”
“Because us, as parents, we worry,” Tolentino said.
Area 4 detectives are investigating.
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