What was supposed to be a night of dancing and joy turned into a nightmare for a Zumba class in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood Monday, with a shooting leaving a 13-year-old girl with Down syndrome dead and three adults injured in a shocking scene caught on camera.
Witnesses told NBC Chicago that the evening started out as normal, but things quickly turned chaotic when gunfire erupted around 8:30 p.m. at the Body Factory Nutrition studio in the 1500 block of West 51st Street.
According to Chicago police, officers were called to the scene after receiving reports that several people had been shot and injured inside the studio. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots and then windows breaking.
Surveillance video showed multiple shots fired as the room full of dancers scrambled for cover. Balloons fell from the ceiling as screams and yells rang out.
A 13-year-old girl was shot in the lower back and hospitalized in fair condition, a 48-year-old woman was shot in the left upper arm and is in good condition, a 57-year-old woman was shot in the right middle finger and is in good condition and a 29-year-old man was shot in the back of the head and hospitalized in critical condition. The man’s condition was later upgraded to good, authorities said.
Two of the four victims spoke exclusively to Telemundo Chicago and NBC Chicago on Tuesday.
Anahí Vásquez’s mother said she just wanted to take her daughter home, but despite everything, the young teenager remains in good spirits and smiling.
“She started crying when she felt the bullet hit her,” Idalia Sánchez said in Spanish, at her daughter’s bedside in the hospital. “I just hugged her and told her everything would be okay. I kept telling her she was strong and prayed to the Virgin Mary and God to protect her.”
According to Sánchez, doctors decided to leave the bullet inside Anahí, fearing that removing it could cause more damage.
Fernando Garza, himself a father, was also among the injured.
“I remember the blood, especially from the little girl,” he said. “I had blood on my hands, from the wound, from the bullet in the head, and from everyone on the ground.”
One of the owners of the Zumba studio told Telemundo Chicago that they have decided to immediately close their studio and move.
Police are still searching for those responsible for the shooting.
For now, Anahí has a simple wish.
“Let’s go home, let’s go home,” she said, hugging her mother from her hospital bed.
