Chicago boy shot to death on South Side

Chicago police say the bullet that killed 10-year-old Arthur Jones several blocks from his South Side home Wednesday was probably meant for someone else.

"At this point, it appears he was an innocent bystander," police spokeswoman Monique Bond said late Wednesday.

Neighbors and family members said Arthur, a 5th-grader at Holmes Elementary School, was headed to a convenience store or fast food restaurant with his best friend to buy an after-school snack when he was shot in the neck.

"My God, my God," cried his father, Eric Jones Sr. "When I got there, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it."

Arthur died a short time later at the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital, authorities said.

Chicago Police Sergeant Eugene Mullins said the fatal shot came from across the street. He said investigators were trying to determine whether the shooting was gang-related and who the intended target was.

No one was in custody early Thursday.

Officers said older youths had had been fighting -- using fists and bottles Ã¢â‚¬â€ť in the area all day long, and a number of older boys were reportedly on the street where Arthur and his friend were walking.

Arthur's mother, Rita Perez, said her son had not been involved in any of the fighting.

"He was just a beautiful boy. Wonderful, loved to give, wanted to be a pastor," Perez said. "I hate that he lost life so young."

Perez pleaded that anyone with information about the shooting call Chicago police.

"He happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time," she said. "I'm not mad at anybody, but whoever's got any information, I would . . . appreciate it from the bottom of my heart."