Boy Dead, Father Critical In S. Side Shooting

An 11-year-old boy was shot dead and his father critically wounded Friday night on the Southeast Side, when someone opened fire on the car they were in, leading to the car crashing into a daycare center.

Crews responded to 7900 S. Bennett Ave. about 8:30 p.m. and found the boy shot dead inside a car, according to Fire Media Affairs Dir. Larry Langford. His father was also found shot and was taken by crews to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

The boy, identified as Aston Wise, 11, of 6832 S. East End Ave., was pronounced dead at 11:55 p.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. The boy's father is 42 years old, according to police News Affairs.
About 8:25 p.m., the man and his son were in the car, parked on the 7800 block of South Kingston Avenue, when someone approached the car with a shotgun, stuck the gun inside the car and began firing. He then lost control of the car, struck several parked cars and crashed into the Wee Care Nursery School at 1843 E. 79th St, striking a gas line and a water pipe, according to South Chicago District police.

The incident prompted a Hazardous Materials response from the fire department because the car struck a gas line, Langford said.

Detectives were determining whether a shotgun was used in the blast, although shell casings at the scene did not immediately appear to be from a shotgun. Doctors were aiding detectives in determining what type of gun was used, police said.

Police could not confirm whether the victims were the intended targets or whether the shooting was gang-related.

No one was inside the daycare center at the time of the crash, police said.