A 3-year-old boy was fatally shot in the head over the weekend in a road rage confrontation in Chicago’s West Lawn neighborhood.
Mateo Zastro was sitting in the back seat of his mother’s SUV when he was shot in the head by another motorist Friday night.
Police said the family had just left a shopping mall when the little boy’s mom got into a confrontation with an unidentified driver of a red sedan, ABC7 reported.
It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the confrontation.
The mom tried to drive off, but the suspect followed her and fired “several shots” into her vehicle, according to cops.
The suspect is still at large.
The little boy took a bullet to the head and was pronounced dead hours later at Christ Hospital.
His three siblings and mom weren’t injured.
“That mother is still grieving. All she’s doing is clutching onto two dinosaurs … the baby’s favorite toy,” said Andrew Holmes, a community activist who spent hours with the grief-stricken family over the weekend.
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CHICAGO (WLS) — A $7,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to the arrest of the person who police said shot and killed 3-year-old Mateo Zastro, leaving his family torn.
“That mother is still grieving. All she’s doing is clutching onto two dinosaurs, and this was the baby’s favorite toy, said community activist Andrew Holmes.
The leftover shattered glass is a reminder of the terrifying moments that ended with the toddler fatally shot while riding in the car with his mother and three siblings.
“We can get these baby killers off the streets,” Holmes said.
It all unfolded at about 8:30 p.m. on Friday night, with an apparent road rage incident near Cicero Avenue and West 71st Street on Chicago’s Southwest Side, police said.
“The mother attempted to flee from the other vehicle of the road rage incident,” said 8th District Chicago Police Department Commander Bryan Spreyne.
But, she didn’t get far, making it only blocks away to Marquette Road near Kildare Avenue, where the mother was tracked down and shots were fired, police said. A nearby home, was riddled with bullets after someone in the backseat of a red sedan took aim at the mom’s car.
A bullet struck little Mateo in the head.
“There was no tint on that window. You saw those children inside of that car, and you still discharged that weapon, Holmes said.
The mother kept driving, ending up at South Pulaski Road near West 66th Place, police said. Her son was taken to Christ Hospital, where he died hours later, early Saturday morning.
“Our hearts are broken by this senseless act of violence that took this child’s life,” Spreyne said.
One anti-violence group returned to the scene in West Lawn to help as much as they can.
“We’re out here trying to combat this violence, trying to help people get their neighborhoods back,” said Calvin Brown with Communities Partnering 4 Peace.
Police vowed to make sure the boy’s killer is held accountable.
“We will not rest until those responsible for this senseless and cowardly act of violence are brought to justice,” Spreyne said. “Our vow to the child’s family and to the entire city is we will not rest until those responsible for this senseless and cowardly act of violence, are brought to justice… To those responsible for taking this precious child’s life: do the right thing, the honorable thing, and turn yourselves in.”
Chicago has long-faced rampant crime issues and notched its deadliest year on record in 25 years at the conclusion of 2021, despite being known for having some of the strictest gun laws in the country.
