Melissa Ortega is seen on a GoFundMe page.
CHICAGO - An 8-year-old Chicago girl was shot in the head and killed on Saturday afternoon when she was caught in the middle of a gang shooting.
Melissa Ortega was walking with her mother around 2:45 p.m. when she was shot. Witnesses said her mom was seen covered in blood at the scene, right outside a Fifth Third Bank.
Police said that known gang members had opened fire at a 26-year-old man who was walking out of a store and the girl was an innocent victim.
When the shots rang out, Melissa’s mother recalled running toward a bank when she felt her daughter "go limp," according to a report. That’s when she realized Melissa had been shot twice in the right side of her head.
She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead a few hours later.
Investigators found more than 13 9mm shell casings at the scene.
She and her mom had come to the United States from Mexico just a few months ago in search of a better life.
A GoFundMe page had raised more than $45,000 by Monday to help Melissa’s family pay for funeral expenses and bury her in her hometown in Mexico.
There have been no arrests in the case. There is a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to arrest in the case and up to $15,000 for a conviction.
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