Girls, 11 and 12, shot in head in separate Chicago shootings

CHICAGO -- Two girls, ages 11 and 12, were wounded in the head in separate shootings in Chicago Saturday night, police said.

The 11-year-old girl was sitting in the backseat of a blue minivan in the 6300 block of South King Drive in the Parkway Gardens neighborhood when shots rang out about 7:40 p.m., police said.

She was struck in the head and discovered by police who had arrived on scene to find out where the gunfire was coming from.

The girl was rushed to Comer Children's Hospital in critical condition, police said. Her grandmother identified her as Takiya Holmes and said she was not doing well.

"They are treating her as best as they can with all kind of aggressive measures that the hospital can do for her, but it's grim and we want prayers to go up for her. We want whoever saw what happened to tell the police," said Patsy Holmes, Takiya's grandmother.

Holmes was a research tech at the University of Chicago for more than 30 years and said her granddaughter was in good hands at Comer Children's Hospital.

"If you are out there, please turn yourself in. My grandbaby did not deserve this. That is my only grandchild. Now she's fighting for her life at 11 years old. That shouldn't be," Holmes said.

The 12-year-old girl was wounded in the head in the 1900 block of W. 57th Street in the West Englewood neighborhood at about 7:15 p.m., police said.

The girl, identified by family as Kanari Bowers, was transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. Family said Kanari is a student at Henderson Elementary School and was playing in a playground at the time of the shooting.

No one was in custody in either shooting.

The weekend's gun violence also claimed the lives of a 23-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman in separate incidents. The Chicago Tribune reports at least four others were wounded Saturday in separate attacks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.