CHICAGO — A Chicago teen executing a three-point turn during a driver’s education examination was wounded when a bullet grazed her head Thursday, authorities said.
According to the Chicago Police Department, the 17-year-old girl was navigating a Ford Focus in the Roseland neighborhood of the city when people standing on a nearby corner opened fire at a passing car, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The girl was struck in the head by one of multiple gunshots, according to the newspaper. The instructor and another student, who was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle, were not injured.
We are learning more about a student driver grazed by a bullet Thursday night in Roseland. https://t.co/SifZXmIWwf
— FOX 32 News (@fox32news) August 13, 2022
“They’re learning not to be scared behind the wheel, and then something like this happens,” the girl’s mother, who asked not to be identified, told WLS-TV. “It scars them for life.”
The teen is a student at Epic Academy but was assigned to Fenger Academy High School for the driver’s education course, WFLD-TV reported.
The victim, who received three stitches to close the wound, was at home recovering after being released from an area hospital, the Tribune reported.
“She has a lot of headaches. She’s been complaining about feeling pain in the area,” the teen’s mother told WGN-TV. “She’s been having nightmares. She hasn’t been able to sleep.”
Mescha Lammy, the principal at Fenger Academy, said in a statement directed to parents that “the safety of your children is always our top priority.”
“Please know that we are taking this matter extremely seriously,” Lammy said in her statement, which was obtained by WLS. “We will continue to work diligently with CPD and the CPS Office of Safety and Security to ensure that our school continues to be a place where all students can reach their full potential.
No arrests have been made, and police said an investigation is ongoing.
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