Toddler Killed In Drive-By Shooting

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A 2-year-old boy was killed on the gang-plagued West Side of Chicago after he was shot in the head, police said.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department said that the toddler was killed along with a 26-year-old man, who was the actual target of the shooting.

Both were pronounced dead at area hospitals.

The child has been identified as Lavontay White. The identity of the other victim is still pending notification of his next of kin.

Another person was shot – a 20-year-old woman was also hospitalized after being shot in the stomach. She is however currently in a stable condition.

All 3 of the victims were shot in a moving car in an alley and police have confirmed that the shooting was gang-related.

Police are investigating the circumstances and say they have “very optimistic leads” in the case. They said that detectives are currently analyzing surveillance video footage from the area.

A nearly 30-minute Facebook live video has also surfaced and may have captured some of the incident as it unfolded. The authenticity of the video has however not been verified and it is still unclear whether it was filmed live in the car where the three were shot.

Gun violence in Chicago has received national attention in recent months. According to police, 2016 ended with a record number of shootings and the most homicides in two decades.

Last year, 3,550 shooting incidents and 762 murders were recorded in the area – a total that averages to more than 2 murders and nearly 10 shootings every day in 2016.