A newborn baby died Tuesday, just two days after his premature delivery was necessitated by his mother being “accidentally” shot in the chest in the North Lawndale neighborhood, according to Chicago Police.
William E. Welch | Chicago Police
Baby Boy Welch died at 5:20 a.m. Tuesday of complications from extreme prematurity and emergency cesarean section delivery due to the mother’s gunshot wound, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. His death was ruled a homicide.
William E. Welch, 38, was charged with first-degree murder for the Sunday shooting near his home in the 1600 block of South Springfield, according to Chicago Police.
Police did not say whether Welch was related to the child, but the mother posted on Facebook that the shooter was her brother.
An argument started about 10:45 a.m. and Welch fired shots at a 34-year-old man, but instead hit the 35-year-old woman in the chest, police allege.
She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, and her baby boy was delivered by emergency C-section, police said.
The woman remained hospitalized as of Thursday.
Welch, who also faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder, was arrested Tuesday in the 3700 block of West Roosevelt, police said. He was due in bond court Friday.
—Chicago Sun-Times Wire