A 7-year-old girl is dead and her 29-year-old father was admitted to hospital after being shot at a McDonald’s on the west side of Chicago, CBS Chicago reports. At the end of Sunday, police said the shooter or shooters were still at large.
It was part of another weekend full of gunfire in Chicago in which at least two people were killed, including the girl, and 22 were injured, according to CBS Chicago.
The station says a Chicago police officer drove Jaslyn Adams to a hospital after she was found in a bulletproof car sitting in a McDonald’s drive-thru. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Investigators said Jaslyn was beaten several times around her body. Family members said his father, Jontae Adams, 29, was also beaten.
Chicago police said he was shot in the upper body. He was taken to the same hospital as his daughter and was reported in serious condition and is expected to survive.
At least 30 carcasses surrounded the vehicle after the shooting at 4:18 p.m., CBS Chicago says. Tinted glass was fired from one side. There were also bullet holes in the frame and in the rear window.
It was unclear if he was targeted for the shooting, but authorities have not said the public is at risk. The Chicago Sun-Times says a McDonald’s employee who asked not to be identified said two people got out of a gray car into the car and started firing at Adams’ car.
Relatives talked about his loss to CBS Chicago in the hospital.
“It’s really emotional for my family now,” Jaslyn’s aunt, Tawny McMullen, said. She had teary eyes when she remembered that the 7-year-old was funny and cheerful.
“She was just sweet and outgoing; really talkative; really charming,” McMullen said.
Jaslyn’s grandmother says Jontae Adams called her as soon as the shooting happened and told her, “They shot my baby.”
“Everyone, please lay down your arms,” McMullen said. “Our kids want to play. My kids can’t even walk out the door because of this violence. Please lay down your arms.”
Relatives said it was a normal outing for Jaslyn and her father to go to McDonalds.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot spoke about the shooting on Twitter Sunday night, saying she was “heartbroken and angry” and calling for an end to “the epidemic of gun violence.”