Teen Shot While Riding CTA Bus On South Side

CHICAGO, IL — A 15-year-old boy was shot Wednesday afternoon while he was on board a CTA bus in the city's Chicago Lawn neighborhood.

An errant bullet "passed through" a window on the bus and hit the boy in the 6200 block of South California Avenue around 1:10 p.m., according to police. Police do not believe the boy was the intended target of the shooting.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the boy suffered a "graze wound" to the head while riding the bus home from school. The shot came from an alley about two blocks away.

"The new technology we have in the 8th (Police) District let us know of the shots," he told media.

The victim was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where his condition first went from critical to serious. He was later upgraded to good condition.

Buses on the Southbound California 94 CTA route were temporarily re-routed. They were put back on a normal schedule around 2:30 p.m., according to the CTA.

California Avenue remained closed to traffic near 63rd Street for a longer period of time as police continued their investigation.

Patch file photo / Tim Moran