Four students wounded in drive-by shooting outside ice cream shop by Chicago high school

Four teenage boys were shot and injured in the ambush-style attack, including one 15-year-old boy who remains in a critical condition in hospital after suffering gunshot wounds to the face and neck

A 15-year-old boy has been left in a critical condition after he and three other students were ambushed in a drive-by shooting outside an ice cream shop close to a Chicago high school.

The shooting unfolded near Carl Schurz High School in Irving Park on the northwest side of the Windy City at around 2.45pm on Wednesday afternoon – just 10 minutes before some classes ended for the day.

Chicago Police said that a group of students were on the patio in front of La Michoacána ice cream store at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Addison Street when a dark-coloured SUV pulled up.

A gunman opened fire from the car on the group of teenagers in the street before the vehicle sped away from the scene.

Four teenage boys were shot and injured in the ambush-style attack, including one 15-year-old boy who remains in a critical condition in hospital after suffering gunshot wounds to the face and neck.

Another 15-year-old boy was shot in the back, an 18-year-old boy was shot in the leg. The fourth victim – a 17-year-old boy – suffered a graze wound to the leg. They are all said to be in a good condition.

The identities of the victims have not been released, but authorities confirmed that two are students at Chicago Public Schools, one is a student at an alternative school, while it is unclear if the 18-year-old is a student.

No arrests have been made, no suspects identified and the motive remains unclear.

Law enforcement officials planned to step up patrols around the school on Thursday, with the shooting coming on just the third day of the new school year.

Students had only returned to Chicago Public Schools from the summer recess on Monday.

The ice cream store is a popular hangout for students from the school.

In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Chicago Police Deputy Chief Robert Nieves said that most students were still in nearby Carl Schurz High School at the time of day the shooting unfolded but that the school does have staggered finish times so some students had finished classes and already left the building.

He described the situation as “very upsetting” and “frustrating” as he sought to reassure the community that the safety of children is “our number one priority”.

“This is very upsetting. We’re very upset ourselves and frustrated by this. Our No. 1 priority is the safety of our kids, especially our kids that attend school,” he said.

“They should be safe coming and while they’re at school and going home. So we’re going to work on keeping that, and we assure the parents we will be out here protecting our children.”

The Independent has contacted Chicago Police for further information.

Police on the scene of the drive-by shooting on Wednesday afternoon (ABC7)

Students and parents who were collecting their children from school at the time of the shooting described the terrifying moment they heard gunfire erupt in broad daylight.

One student Eric Estrada told ABC7 that he was sat in class when he heard gunfire ring out.

“So I was in class, and right behind me I heard about four or five gunshots, and a few of us kind of ducked down when we heard that,” he said.

“A couple people were freaking out, and a couple others did cry. Not many people knew exactly what to do.”

When he looked out the window to see what was happening, he said he saw one victim on the sidewalk and another being taken to an ambulance in a wheelchair.

The school was immediately placed into lockdown and panicked parents gathered in the area desperate to know that their children were okay.

Eric’s mother said she was “shaking” before she finally heard her son’s voice over the phone.

“As soon as he answered the phone, I had a sigh of relief, but I flew over here as fast as I could because I really got scared. My whole body was shaking,” said Theresa Estrada.

The shooting comes as America continues to be rocked by a rise in gun violence, with several highly deadly mass shootings across the country in recent months including the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 21 victims dead.

Chicago officials have been battling to bring down gun violence in the city by launching gun violence prevention programs that target its most crime-racked neighbourhoods.

The number of homicides and shootings have both fallen by 18 per cent so far in 2022, compared to the same period ending 21 August the previous year.

But crime is overall up by 37 percent with theft rising by 66 per cent.

In the last weekend alone, 37 people were shot in Chicago, including a six-year-old girl and seven-year-old boy.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about Wednesday’s shooting to contact Chicago Police.