Man with disabilities shot, critically wounded while waiting for bus in Chicago
Jesus Rega, 21, was hit three times, including once in the head. FOX 32 Chicago reports.
A Chicago man with disabilities was shot while waiting for a bus to school Wednesday morning.
Philip Rega and his sons were at the bus stop in front of their home when three people approached and started yelling gang slogans, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He was about to call 911 when shots rang out – nearly 40 rounds by police count.
His older son, 21-year-old Jesus Rega, was hit three times, including once in the head, police said. The father and his other son who is 15 years old were not hurt.
Jesus was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where he underwent surgery.
Jesus Rega, 21, was shot three times, including once in the head while waiting for a bus in Chicago. (Provided by family)
"Right now he’s alive and well, thank God," Philip told the newspaper. "But he’s still not out of the woods. He’s gonna be in the hospital for at least a few more weeks."
Chicago police said during a news conference the shooting happened around 6:38 a.m. in the 4700 block of South Wolcott.
"Because they shouted out gang slogans [we believe] that’s an effort to identify if the victims in this case were in fact gang members themselves, which they were not," Chicago Police Cmdr. Don Jerome said.
Still, the gang members opened fire. Some of the bullets even reportedly hit homes along the block The suspects ran north, and no arrests have been made.
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Chicago's gunshot detection system registered 39 rounds, and multiple shell casings were found at the scene, Jerome said. (FOX 32 Chicago)
"It’s terribly brazen," Philip said. "No one should be shot, let alone shot while standing [and] waiting for a school bus. No father should see his children shot like this."
Police believe the attack on the Regas is also related to another shooting that happened a few hours later nearby, although no one was injured in that incident.
Chicago Police Cmdr. Don Jerome told reporters that the gang members walked up to Rega and his sons in the 4700 block of South Wolcott Avenue around 6:40 a.m. (FOX 32 Chicago)
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Last week a 45-year-old man was shot and killed in the same neighborhood, known as Back of the Yards, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
Police continue to investigate. Anyone with information about the shooting can call Area 1 detectives at 312-747-8380.
