Danny Gilmore, a 14-year-old Austin high school student, was shot multiple times Tuesday morning as he walked to nearby Douglass Academy High School. He was in serious condition at Loyola Medical Center Tuesday evening, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The shooting – multiple wounds to his back and shoulder – took place on the 5600 block of West Chicago Avenue after Gilmore and friends stopped in at Stop N Save, a convenience store, to buy chips and juice. The Sun-Times quoted a store employee as saying that after Gilmore and his pals left the store, he heard four or five shots and the friends ran back into the store.
The gunman, the Tribune reported, approached Gilmore on foot from behind. It is unclear if Gilmore was specifically targeted or was a victim of mistaken identity. Police officials acknowledged an upturn in gang violence in Austin in recent weeks.
Witnesses to the shooting pointed out alleged participants to a Chicago police officer who was only a block away at the time of the shooting. One person was detained.
An 18-year-old man was in police custody and being questioned Tuesday evening.
Gilmore is a freshman at Douglass and officials there spoke highly of him.
-Staff reports
