A 31-year-old man critically injured in a drive-by shooting near an elementary school in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood has left parents and teachers shaken, as authorities continue to investigate the incident.
An 18-year-old suspect, Kaleb Ortega-Guardiola, faces charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery after allegedly firing shots at the victim's vehicle. According to police, the shooting occurred around 8:40 a.m. Tuesday near Little Village Academy Elementary School, where students were in lockdown as the incident unfolded.
Teachers and staff described the scene as "chaotic," with some saying they were alerted to the situation via music - a peculiar attempt to calm down their third-grade class amidst the chaos. Maria Alarcon, a 6-year veteran teacher at the school, said playing soothing tunes was an attempt to block out the sounds of gunfire.
Meanwhile, concerned parents like Gigi Tolentino believe that more effective communication would have been helpful in keeping them informed about the incident. "We worry," she admitted. "As parents, we want to know what's happening."
Ortega-Guardiola, who lives just a few blocks away from the school, was arrested shortly after the shooting. The 18-year-old is scheduled to face a detention hearing on Friday at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse. The victim remains hospitalized in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital, leaving many in the community on edge as authorities continue their investigation into the incident.
An 18-year-old suspect, Kaleb Ortega-Guardiola, faces charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery after allegedly firing shots at the victim's vehicle. According to police, the shooting occurred around 8:40 a.m. Tuesday near Little Village Academy Elementary School, where students were in lockdown as the incident unfolded.
Teachers and staff described the scene as "chaotic," with some saying they were alerted to the situation via music - a peculiar attempt to calm down their third-grade class amidst the chaos. Maria Alarcon, a 6-year veteran teacher at the school, said playing soothing tunes was an attempt to block out the sounds of gunfire.
Meanwhile, concerned parents like Gigi Tolentino believe that more effective communication would have been helpful in keeping them informed about the incident. "We worry," she admitted. "As parents, we want to know what's happening."
Ortega-Guardiola, who lives just a few blocks away from the school, was arrested shortly after the shooting. The 18-year-old is scheduled to face a detention hearing on Friday at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse. The victim remains hospitalized in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital, leaving many in the community on edge as authorities continue their investigation into the incident.
they got this 1 guy who was drive by shot infront of a elementary school n he's still in hospitall 
like wut r the cops doin? sum 1 tries to save their life but they cant catch the person who did it? 
the teacherz tried to calm down the kids by playin music lololol what kinda teacher does that tho? 
anyways the guy who shot him is 18 n he's gettin detention lolol dont think thats gonna deter sum 1 from doin this crazy stuff 
in our neighborhood... a drive-by shooting near an elementary school is just too much 
I feel so bad for the 3rd-grade class who were literally in lockdown because of it 
and how did they even hear music being played to calm them down during that? 
sounds like some creative thinking but also kinda messed up lol... parents have every right to freak out and want to know what's going on, they should get updates ASAP 
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. It's just terrible that someone would try to harm an innocent person like that... I mean, shooting at a car while kids are in school is just crazy 
. And I'm glad they caught the guy who did it, but you have to wonder what led him to do something so reckless and scary 
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i feel bad for the parents too, they dont know what's happening and that's not fair, more info from the school or police would've been super helpful, maybe even a notification system or something? idk but this whole thing is just so messed up 
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and hopefully they'll get some serious rehab or whatever to make sure something like this doesn't happen again 
can't even imagine being a teacher in that situation... and poor parents who are left wondering what's going on, like Gigi Tolentino said, more info would've been super helpful 
gotta keep those schools safe tho 
and can u believe this kid who shot him lives jus a few blocks away from the school?? that's just crazy 
. parents r right, more comms wouldve helped, we need 2 know wut's happenin' ASAP 
. teachers tryin 2 calm down kids with music lol like wut is this world 
its not like it solves anything or makes a difference in anyone's life... and what really gets me is that 18yo livs just a few blocks away from the school.. like, how does someone with that much blood on their hands live right next to all these innocent kids and families?! 
or at least have some way to keep parents in the loop about what's going on 
Gigi Tolentino makes a valid point, it's like they just threw us into the dark 
. Like, who needs music when there's gunfire going off outside? And what's up with the neighborhood where this happened - Little Village is like, totally cute but also super sketchy... it's like they're trying to give a bad rep or something 
. Anyway, I hope that kid recovers fast, no need for any more trauma in life! 
and the fact that some teachers tried to calm down the kids by playing soothing music while there was gunfire going on? that's just crazy talk.