CHICAGO _ A 15-year-old boy will remain in custody for the Halloween shooting of a 7-year-old girl as prosecutors seek medical records, a judge decided Monday.
The boy, wearing a brown sweatshirt and blue jogging pants, did not say anything during the brief hearing before Judge Patricia Mendoza. His mother whispered "Love you" as he was escorted out of the courtroom. The boy's stepfather also was in the courtroom.
The teen, whose name has not been released because he is a juvenile, faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
Prosecutors are seeking medical records related to the shooting, and the judge issued an order for them. A prosecutor said there was extensive evidence in the case but did not go into detail during the hearing.
The shooting happened about 5:30 p.m. on Halloween as children in costumes swarmed a bustling 26th Street in Little Village. The teen is accused of opening fire in the 3700 block of West 26th Street, hitting the girl in the lower neck and chest, police said. She was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, where she was stabilized.
The gunman was aiming at a 32-year-old man near the girl, police said. He was wounded in the hand and found by police about a block away.
During a weekend court hearing, Assistant State's Attorney Jack Ruggiero said police recovered a gun that ballistics tests showed was used in the attack.
Witnesses heard the boy say he tossed the gun in an alley near garbage cans and a school as he ran away, Ruggiero said, adding that video surveillance captured him hiding the gun there.
Ruggiero told the judge the boy and several others _ at least one of whom was wearing a mask _ went out that day "looking for trouble," specifically looking for someone from the rival Latin Kings gang.
When they spotted the 32-year-old, one of them first tried to shake his hand. They told him they were Gangster Two-Sixers and then chased him, yelling: "Two-Six!" and "King killa!" before the boy fired seven times, hitting him and the girl.
After the shooting, the group listened to a police scanner and learned a little girl was shot. The boy "urinated on his hands" after learning about the girl to get the gunpowder off his hands, Ruggiero said. The boy also told members of the group to "hide the jacket" that he was wearing.
The teen will appear in court again Nov. 26.
