A 7-year-old girl died Saturday after being shot while attending a family Fourth of July party in the Austin neighborhood — the third weekend in a row in which a child under 10 has been a victim of gun violence.
The girl was playing on a sidewalk about 7 p.m. in the 100 block of North Latrobe when three men got out of a white car and shot more than 20 rounds in the direction of the people holding the party, a group which included many children, police said.
The girl, identified by family as Natalie Wallace, was struck in the forehead, and a 32-year-old man was injured.
Natalie was taken to Stroger Hospital but was later pronounced dead, police said.
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“On a day when families should be celebrating, having a good time, spending time together, a 7-year-old girl was taken from us,” Chicago Police Chief of Operations Fred Waller said.
Waller said police had good video evidence from the scene but did not offer details.
“Tonight, a 7-year-old girl in Austin joined a list of teenagers and children whose hopes and dreams were ended by the barrel of a gun,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement on Twitter. “We cannot grow numb to this. We are making progress in slowing shootings, but we have to do better, every single one of us.”
Family said Natalie was funny, outspoken and loved to be outside. She loved to pose for pictures and was quick to give out a kiss on a cheek.
“For her life to be cut down, for no reason, it’s ridiculous,” her father, Nathan Wallace, said outside Stroger Hospital.
The girl was visiting her grandmother’s house for the family party when more than 20 shots rang out, police said.
“There were kids riding by on bicycles . . . enjoying the Fourth of July, as they should have been,” Waller said.
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The man who was injured took himself to Mount Sinai Hospital with a gunshot wound to his ankle and a graze wound to his leg. He was in fair condition, police said.
Dozens of shell casings littered the street as residents of the block sat on their porches watching police officers work, and a steady stream of fireworks cracked in the sky.
A week earlier, 1-year-old Sincere A. Gaston was killed when someone opened fire on his mother’s car as they drove home from a laundromat in Englewood.
The week before that, 3-year-old Mekhi James was fatally shot while riding in an SUV with his father in Austin when someone opened fire on them from another vehicle.
