A 1-year-old boy shot in the head Monday evening in Uptown was likely wounded while his parents struggled over a gun inside their home — not by a stray bullet, as his father claimed, Chicago police say.
The boy was in “serious but stable” condition after his father brought him to Weiss Hospital and told police someone else shot at them about 7:40 p.m. near Leland and Clarendon avenues outside the hospital, police said.
But by Tuesday morning, detectives determined the parents were struggling over a gun inside their home when it discharged and a bullet ricocheted and struck the boy, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in an interview.
“No shooting ever occurred at Clarendon/Leland. Criminal investigation including history of weapon & child welfare continues. Charges likely,” Guglielmi said in a statement posted to Twitter.
Both parents are in custody, but it’s too early to say if charges will be sought against them, he said.
Police initially responded Monday evening to Leland and Clarendon after the father claimed someone else had shot at them there, but officers couldn’t find a crime scene, Guglielmi said.
The child was transferred from Weiss to Lurie Children’s Hospital for treatment, and his condition was still “stable” Tuesday morning, he said.
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