Chicago police say a 14-year-old boy is responsible for a mass shooting that left four juveniles wounded in West Garfield Park this summer, making him one of the city’s youngest accused gunmen this year.
Details are slim because the case will be handled in juvenile court, where proceedings are shielded from public review.
What we know is that two boys and two girls were shot in the 700 block of South Springfield around 11:24 p.m. on Sunday, July 27, 2025. Chicago police initially said the victims had been in a “verbal dispute” with a man who opened fire on them.
A 14-year-old boy was shot in the chest and critically injured. A 13-year-old boy suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh. A 15-year-old girl was shot in the leg, and a 16-year-old girl was struck multiple times, according to CPD.
It was the only mass shooting in Chicago that weekend.
Police say the same 14-year-old is also responsible for a robbery nearly two weeks earlier. On July 14, investigators allege, he robbed a 16-year-old boy at gunpoint in the 3000 block of West Jackson.
Cops arrested the 14-year-old Wednesday at the county’s juvenile detention center, where he was already facing another pending case, according to a knowledgeable source. He is the 13th person accused of shooting or killing someone in Chicago this year while on pretrial release. Those cases involve 29 victims, five of whom died.
The “not horrible” series
This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others on pretrial release for a felony allegation. CWBChicago began our series of reports in November 2019 after Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated, “We haven’t had any horrible incidents occur” under the court’s bond reform initiative.
The actual number of murders and shootings committed by people awaiting trial for felony allegations is undoubtedly much higher than the numbers seen here. Since 2017, CPD has brought charges in less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, according to the city’s data. You can see all of the “not horrible” stories here.
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