CHICAGO (WLS) — Two boys were seriously wounded Thursday afternoon in a shooting on Chicago’s South Side, Chicago police said.

According to the police, the boys, aged 12 and 15, were in a vacant lot on the 600-block of West 47th Street within the city’s Canaryville neighborhood around 3:45 p.m. They were engaged in an altercation with an unspecified number of individuals.

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At least one suspect pulled out a gun, and shot the boys, police said.

The 12-year-old was shot in the chest, and the 15-year-old was shot in the hip area, CPD said.

One of the boys was able to run away to the back of a nearby barbershop before collapsing on the ground.

The clothing of one of the young victims is still on the ground behind the Style Headquarters barbershop. The owner of the barbershop reported finding the boy who had been shot multiple times.

That owner asked not to be identified.

“I went back there for a break and found him lying against the gate. Initially, I thought he had fallen from the roof due to ongoing repairs, but he had actually been shot at the opposite end of the alley and managed to run down here. They chased him to the back of that house,” the owner explained. “He was still alert and kept moving. I suppose the bullets were hot. They eventually lifted him into the ambulance.”

The boys were taken to University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition, police said.

“I’ve been here for five years since I opened. Our anniversary is approaching, and I’ve never witnessed anything like this in the area before,” the barbershop owner commented.

No one is in custody, and area detectives are investigating.

Police did not immediately provide any additional information about the suspects.

Chopper 7 was over the scene Thursday evening, which is not far from Tilden High School.

Alderman Raymond Lopez expressed his concern on X, stating, “Today, the 15th Ward witnessed a shooting near Tilden High School. If having national guardsmen on-site to boost uniform presence prevents our youth from getting shot, what’s the problem? Neither Governor JB Pritzker nor Mayor Brandon Johnson is offering real solutions for my constituents.”

There’s no word if anyone involved is a student at Tilden High School.

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