7-Year-Old Chicago Girl, Younger Sibling Shot In Front Of Mother; Search For Suspect Underway

A 7-year-old girl has died and her younger sibling is in critical condition after being shot in front of their mother in Chicago.

Police responded to West Grand Avenue on Sunday morning after receiving reports of the shooting. The officers found two young girls in a parked vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds. The girls, identified as Serenity and Aubrey Broughton, were rushed to a local hospital where Serenity succumbed to injuries. Her 6-year-old sister was battling for life at the hospital, ABC Chicago reported.

In a press conference Sunday afternoon, Chicago Police Chief of Patrol Brian McDermott said Serenity was shot in the chest and torso while Aubrey was shot in the chest and right armpit.

The officer said the victims’ mother was placing them in the backseat of their car when the gunshots were fired. He, however, believes the siblings were not the intended target.

Condemning the incident, he said, "To say that I am sad and outraged would be an understatement. I can only hope that every resident of the city is as angry, saddened and outraged as I am at this time. Too many young people have lost their lives to senseless gun violence in the city of Chicago," the publication reported.

Meanwhile, speaking to CBS Local, Regina Broughton, the girls’ paternal grandmother, said the two had come from their maternal grandmother’s house when the incident took place.

"She (Serenity) was getting in a car coming from her grandma’s house, and her life was ended at that moment. I mean, that’s just senseless. And you know, someone should come forth and say something. Someone should come forth and help the family, and help us – because it didn’t have to happen to her. It shouldn’t have happened to her. She was innocent. She was 7. Her birthday was coming up in November," she told the outlet.

No arrests were made as of Sunday night and police have asked anyone with any information related to the incident to leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com. A reward of $2,000 is being offered to anyone with information leading to an arrest.