EAST CHICAGO, IND. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) --East Chicago detectives are continuing to investigate a shooting early Tuesday morning that left a 7-year-old boy dead as he slept in his parents’ van.
There were two adults and four children in the van. The incident occurred just after 1:00 a.m.
The boys parents' were returning from seeing relatives in Chicago. Shots were fired from a red Dodge Charger.
The victim was in a back seat. Someone in the van reportedly returned fire.
The boy's parents stopped at a firehouse and got no answer and then went to a hospital where police saw the boy being carried from the van.
Inside, police found a gun and spent shell casings. There are cameras near the scene and Police are asking for help with the investigation.
"Anytime anybody's shot but when you got a baby...I mean a baby- a second-grader loses his life due to the negligence and I understand that the baby was in the back seat asleep," said Chicago anti-violence activist Andrew Holmes.
Holmes lost two family members to gun violence in the past.
"Thoughts, prayers and caring emoji’s on social media will not bring the shooter to justice," said East Chicago Police in a statement.
"We need witnesses or anyone with information to come forward and cooperate with our Detectives. We can’t allow these cowardly thugs to randomly open fire in our community with impunity."
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the boy's age. The boy was 7 years old, not 8.
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