A teen was shot in West Ridge on Friday afternoon, Chicago police said.
A 14-year-old boy was on the sidewalk in the 6300 block of North Rockwell Street at about 3 p.m. when he was shot in the neck by someone who police described as an unknown offender.
He was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital in critical condition, police said.
Farzad Chowdhury, 21, has lived in the area for over a decade. He didn’t hear the shooting, but saw police cars “flying by” on his way home from school.
Chowdhury noticed police looking at a blue vehicle two blocks down from his home.
“They told me he was involved with a shooting,” he said. “I feel so terrible for the person,” he said. [It’s like] you are so young.”
Chowdhury said he hasn’t experienced much violent activity in the area.
In 2025, West Ridge was listed among the safest Chicago community areas for shooting incidents. The neighborhood ranked 58th out of the city’s 77 communities for population-adjusted shooting rate, according to data from the Chicago Public Safety Datahub.
The rate in West Ridge was 13 shootings per 100,000 people, while the citywide average was 42.
Data from this year, last updated in August, shows West Ridge ranked 48th for shootings.
Area 3 detectives are investigating.