Seven-year-old fatally shot in East Chicago was in van

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) - A 7-year-old boy fatally shot in East Chicago this week was struck in the head when someone opened fire on the van he was riding in, the city's police chief said.

The shooting occurred at an intersection in East Chicago early Tuesday and five shots were fired, Chief Jose Rivera said in a post on Facebook.

Officers first rushed to the scene of the shooting and then to St. Catherine's Hospital, where officers observed a van drive onto the emergency room ramp at a high rate of speed and a woman exit the vehicle carrying Jermiah Moore who had an apparent gunshot wound to his head, Rivera said. The child subsequently died.

Inside the van were three other children and two adults, Rivera said. The van was held for evidence and inside it were a gun, spent shell casings, a 30-round magazine and blood splatter Rivera said.

East Chicago's ShotSpotter system alerted officers that five rounds were fired at the scene of the shooting, Rivera said.

'œAny time a child is the victim of senseless gun violence it affects and saddens us all,'ť Rivera said in asking witnesses to come forward and speak with detectives.