On Monday morning, Chicago law enforcement received a distress call from a South Side residence. The call was about a 10-year-old boy in a mental health crisis.
The boy had a gun and shot at the responding officers. However, no injuries were reported thanks to de-escalation techniques and a fair amount of fortune.
Upon arrival at the family’s residence on the 9800 block of S. Charles in Beverly, the officers initially struggled to establish communication with the armed child.
O’Shea revealed that the boy had fired the weapon within the home, where several family members were present. At one point, the boy had even pointed the gun at himself. The police reported that the boy had fired multiple shots, including one at the responding officers and another that seemed to have struck the neighboring house.
In response, the officers fired non-lethal bean bag rounds toward the house, which did not hit the child. They then discharged a chemical at the porch, which frightened the boy into dropping the gun. He was subsequently taken into custody.
O’Shea emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “Clearly, this is a young child in a mental health crisis.” He expressed his shock at such an incident occurring in their neighborhood.
The physically unharmed boy, accompanied by his family, was admitted to a hospital for mental health treatment. O’Shea hopes this incident serves as a reminder for parents to secure firearms.