CHICAGO, IL (Headline News USA) (Copyright © 2025) – A 16-year-old boy was shot in broad daylight Tuesday just steps from the front door of Deneen School of Excellence in Bronzeville—just as elementary school kids were heading home for the day.

It was 3:30 in the afternoon, the end of a sunny spring school day. Dozens of children were still milling around the South Cottage Grove Avenue sidewalk when the shots rang out. Witnesses say a man walked up and opened fire, hitting the teen in the leg and sending a ripple of panic through the block.

“I heard the shots and ran out,” said Dana Reed, who lives across from the school. “The boy was screaming, holding his leg. Blood on the concrete. And the saddest part? These little kids just kept walking—like they’ve seen it before.”

The victim, a student at Hyde Park Academy High School, was rushed to Comer Children’s Hospital in serious condition, according to CBS Chicago. Police have not made any arrests. No weapon was recovered at the scene.

Deneen School serves students from pre-K through eighth grade. Some were still on campus for after-school programs when the shooting happened. Others had just stepped off the school property.

“It was chaos,” one teacher told CBS Chicago, asking not to be named. “You think you’re doing enough to keep these kids safe, and then something like this happens feet from your building.”

This isn’t an isolated incident. Less than two weeks ago, a 15-year-old girl was wounded in a separate shooting near Fenger Academy High School in Roseland—another neighborhood on the city’s South Side, as reported by ABC7 Chicago.

According to Chicago Police Department data, the area around Deneen has seen a spike in gun violence this spring. Twelve shootings have been reported in the 2nd Police District over the past month alone—up more than 50% from this time last year.

Parents arrived to pick up their children on Tuesday and were greeted by yellow tape and squad cars instead.

“My son is 9. I send him to school, not a war zone,” said Jamal Thomas, whose third-grade boy attends Deneen. “How is this normal?”

In a statement late Tuesday, Chicago Public Schools said it would provide grief counselors and coordinate with law enforcement “to ensure the safety of all students and staff.”

City officials quickly weighed in, including 3rd Ward Alderman Pat Dowell, who called the shooting “unacceptable” and demanded a stronger response from both law enforcement and community violence prevention programs.

“We’re asking our children to learn and thrive in environments that are being ripped apart by gunfire,” Dowell said during a press conference outside the school. “Bronzeville deserves better. Our kids deserve better.”

Dowell’s office has been working with Chicago CRED, a local nonprofit focused on reducing street violence through outreach, job placement, and counseling. But some community leaders say the resources just aren’t keeping up with the scale of the problem.

“We’ve got boots on the ground, but it’s not enough,” said Charles Jackson, a longtime violence interrupter with CRED who was a few blocks away when the shots went off. “You can’t expect peace when there’s no investment—no rec centers, no job training, no stability.”

Police have not released a motive but said they are investigating whether the shooting was gang-related. Surveillance video from nearby businesses is being reviewed. Witnesses said the shooter ran south after the attack.

No suspect description has been made public.

For families in the neighborhood, the sense of fear and helplessness is growing. Many said they no longer let their children walk home—even if the school is just around the corner.

“Every week it’s another siren, another lockdown, another text message,” said Reed, who’s lived in Bronzeville for 22 years. “I don’t know what to tell my grandkids anymore. Stay inside? Stay afraid?”

As the summer approaches—traditionally a more violent season in Chicago—parents, teachers, and community advocates are bracing themselves.

“This can’t be the story every week,” Thomas said. “We can’t just keep chalking this up to the city being the city. We need action, and we need it yesterday.”

Photo by Maxim Potkin on Unsplash