A 6-year-old girl who was seriously wounded in a shooting on Chicago’s South Side last week returned home to a celebration on Monday.
Tacarra Morgan was playing with her family in front of her home in the 6000 block of South Paulina in the city’s West Englewood neighborhood around 1 p.m. last Tuesday when shots rang out, police said.
Tacarra suffered gunshot wounds to the stomach and was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in serious condition, undergoing surgery that same day.
She returned home to a party in her honor on Monday, with presents from friends, family, and even strangers. One well-wisher bought the young girl a new bike that she promptly rode during the festivities.
The shooting began a block away from the girl's home, when a suspect in a white SUV opened fire. When people started running from the scene, the shooting continued onto the next block and Tacarra was struck.
Chicago Police First Deputy Superintendent John Escalante called the shooting a "heinous crime" and asked for community members who may know something to say something.
"This is unacceptable," he said. "This is a child, like any other child in the city of Chicago, who should be able to enjoy a warm summer day and play in front of her house and play on her porch with her family."
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Tacarra is one of more than 20 children under the age of 13 to be shot in the city this year.
