Gun goes off in child’s backpack, injuring 7-year-old classmate

CHICAGO (WLS) - A 7-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet when a gun went off inside his classmate’s backpack at a Chicago school.

Parents and caregivers of Disney Magnet School students began rushing to the campus Tuesday after word went out saying a gun went off in the school. Police say the weapon was in a student’s backpack.

“It’s shocking, for one, for a little kid to have a gun, something that should be hard for an adult to have,” said Edwina Watkins, who has a 12-year-old grandson that attends the school.

The incident happened just before 10 a.m. Police say their investigation revealed the gun in the backpack accidentally discharged while inside a classroom. The bullet struck the ground and ricocheted, grazing a 7-year-old boy in the abdomen.

The boy was hospitalized in good condition.

In an email to parents, the school principal said no serious injuries had occurred. He also said police had confiscated the gun and were investigating the incident.

“My son is 7, too, so it is very worrisome. How did the kid get a gun in his backpack?” one parent said. “It takes a village to help these young kids nowadays because it’s different growing up now in Chicago.

School stayed in session, though some anxious parents were intent on getting to their kids. Jennifer Uribe’s daughter texted her when she found out what was going on.

“Someone brought a gun. All I heard is there is a gun, and I came flying. I wasn’t going to text her because if she had to hide, I didn’t want her doing that. So I said stop texting me, and I came here,” Uribe said.

As school let out, hugs were held longer amid promises that everything will be OK tomorrow.

The mother of the student who had the gun is now charged with three misdemeanor counts of “causing a child to be endangered.”

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