A 9-year-old boy died Saturday in a drive-by shooting during his grandma’s birthday party in Chicago after four to six shots were fired.
Ulysses Campos was killed by a bullet to the chest around 10:15 p.m. at the Franklin Park party when he was playing with other children in an Elder Lane alley, according to CBS News Chicago. Campos was transported to Loyola Hospital in Maywood, where medical personnel pronounced him dead. (RELATED: Here’s The Latest On The Woman Who Allegedly Told Son To Shoot Man Killed At Hot Dog Stand)
9-year-old boy shot, killed at grandmother’s birthday party in Franklin Park https://t.co/bSfmlIyETO pic.twitter.com/0s7PZyFpFO
— CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) July 10, 2023
The suspect’s vehicle was found in unincorporated Leyden Township by Franklin Park Police and the West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force. The unidentified suspect was arrested and is being held in jail.
The victim’s uncle said that he was going to turn 10 in two weeks, according to ABC 7 Chicago. Campos had an infectious smile and a love for making people laugh, his uncle said. He loved video games and received a PlayStation as an early birthday gift from his father.
The victim’s family arrived at his Chicago home near Elder and Grand Avenue on Sunday with balloons, adding to the growing memorial. A GoFundMe for the boy’s funeral accumulated over $7,000 in funds, as of Monday morning.
There were 22 mass shootings across America during the Fourth of July, according to ABC News. Twenty people were killed and 126 people were injured as crime erupted that evening in major cities including Chicago.
There were 697 criminal homicides in Chicago in 2022, which was more than any other state in the nation for the 11th year straight. Chicago was designated as the murder capital of America last year, according to Wirepoints.