A 7-year-old boy was struck by a bullet fragment when a gun “accidentally discharged” while inside another student’s backpack at Walt Disney Magnet School, 4140 North Marine Drive, in Uptown on Tuesday morning.
Police dispatchers sent a CPD unit to the school for a “gun turn-in” around 9:51 a.m.
According to CPD radio transmissions, the school’s principal reported that a gun went off in a second-grader’s backpack, causing a “scrape” on a student. The 911 caller did not want EMS to respond, the dispatcher said.
Police later summoned an ambulance anyway. It took the boy to Lurie Children’s Hospital to be checked out. He was in good condition, according to CPD.
When the gun discharged, a bullet struck the classroom floor and ricocheted, grazing the boy, CPD said.
In an email to parents, the school said the bullet hit the floor “causing some damage and releasing debris. Our staff immediately intervened, secured the gun, and contacted the Chicago Police Department.”
A CPD report said the student whose backpack contained the gun said their mother’s boyfriend put the gun in the bag.
The school’s email said Disney leadership will work with the CPS Office of Safety and Security “to make a safety plan moving forward.”