Shooting at Chicago Park Wounds 13 People Playing Basketball Including 3-Year-Old Boy

A late night basketball game taking place at a park on the southwest side of Chicago was interrupted by gunfire as 13 people, including a 3-year-old boy who was in critical condition, were wounded in the shooting, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The shooting, which is believed to be gang related, happened shortly after 10 p.m. at Cornell Square Park in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood. Over 60 police officers and 10 ambulances reported to the scene, according to USA Today.

Witnesses say that the shooting began when a gray sedan pulled up to the park with two men getting out of the car and firing, according to CBS News.

"I think it was like an AK," one witness told the Tribune. "Man, it was a lot of shots. Man, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. A little boy got hit in the face."

The 3-year-old little boy was identified as Deonta Howard. Howard was shot through the cheek and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition. Semecha Nunn, the boy's grandmother, said that right after he was shot he was still trying to get up and run around, according to the Tribune.

"He's not your average 3-year-old," Nunn said. "He's very smart, he's beyond his years. I don't know if you've heard the saying, 'He's an old soul.' That's the best words to describe him."

The shooting is only the latest in a wave of violence that has engulfed the city over the last couple of years. Last year Chicago had over 500 homicides, more than any other city in the United States, according to the New York Times.

"I was across the park and I heard the shots and I came over and there were a lot of people down," a witness said to the Tribune. "It happened so fast. They were just playing ball, like they do everyday."

Chicago mayor, Rahm Emanuel, was scheduled to be in Jersey City on Friday to campaign for Cory Booker. Instead, he canceled the event and returned to Chicago.

"Senseless and brazen acts of violence have no place in Chicago and betray all that we stand for," Emanuel said in a statement. "The perpetrators of this crime will be brought to justice and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I encourage everyone in the community to step forward with any information and everyone in Chicago to continue their individual efforts to build stronger communities where violence has no place."