Jan. 16--A 16-year-old boy was in critical condition after he accidentally shot himself while playing with a gun early Saturday in a South Austin home on the West Side, police said.
The boy was inside a residence in the 5500 block of West Adams Street when about 1 a.m. he accidentally shot himself in the chin, said Chicago Police Department spokesman Officer Hector Alfaro.
The boy told police he shot himself while playing with a gun, police said.
He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition, police said.
Police said the boy is a self-admitted gang member and has a lengthy police record, which includes arrests for drugs and guns.
The teen was arrested twice for an unlawful use of a weapon. The latest one was just days ago in early January, and the second arrest happened in June 2015, according to police.
As of Saturday morning, no one was in custody as a result of the shooting as police still investigated the details of what happened.
