Police recovered a handgun after the Fuller Park shooting but have not said how the 9-year-old obtained the weapon.
CHICAGO — Authorities are investigating how a handgun came to be in the hands of a 9-year-old boy after police said he fired one shot inside a South Side home Friday, critically wounding a 13-year-old boy.
The shooting occurred at about 4 p.m. in the 5200 block of South Wells Street in Fuller Park. Chicago police said the younger boy was inside the residence with a firearm when the gun was fired and the older child was struck in the shoulder.
The 13-year-old was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. Police recovered a handgun at the home, but several central questions about the shooting remained unanswered Saturday.
Authorities have not said who owned the firearm, where it had been kept or how the 9-year-old obtained access to it. Police also have not publicly described what the children were doing before the gun was fired.
Investigators have not said whether they believe the shooting was intentional or accidental. No information has been released about the relationship between the boys, and police have not said whether an adult was present when the shooting happened.
No arrests or charges had been announced. Police have also not identified either child, and their names were not released in the initial reports of the shooting.
The limited information leaves the source and handling of the recovered handgun among the key unresolved issues in the investigation. Police have confirmed only that a firearm was present inside the home, a single shot was fired and the 13-year-old suffered a critical injury.
Detectives continued investigating Saturday. Police had not announced an updated condition for the wounded boy or released additional findings about how the firearm entered the home or became accessible to the younger child.
Author note: Last updated September 5, 2026.