Chicago girl, 4, fatally shot after other child finds gun

CHICAGO (AP) - A 4-year-old Chicago girl was fatally shot after another child found a gun inside a house and the weapon apparently accidentally discharged, police said.

Makalah McKay was pronounced dead Thursday at Comer Children's Hospital after being shot in a house in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Chicago police said Makalah was struck in the chest in an apparent accidental shooting about 6 p.m. Thursday after another child found the weapon. Police said a man was taken in for questioning, though no charges have been filed.

Makalah's mother and other relatives gathered outside the hospital and embraced each other as they struggled for answers in the child's death.

After speaking with the family, Pastor Donavan Price said Makalah was at the home with her mother and other children, who he said were taken to the hospital for observation.

'œIt's so heart-wrenching. This mom here, her guts are ripped out right now,'ť he told the Chicago Sun-Times.

The newspaper reported that according to its data, 234 minors have been shot, 37 fatally, so far this year in Chicago, and Makalah McKay is the youngest child to die in 2021 from a shooting in Chicago.