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Chicago’s out of control gun violence problem nearly claimed the life of a fifth-grader on Monday, the bloodiest day in 13 years for the city, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Tavon Tanner, 10, was playing with his twin sister on their porch when gunfire rang out, hitting the boy in his lower back as he tried to run to safety inside his home.

The Tribune said he collapsed on the floor, struggling to breathe. Tavon underwent nearly four hours of surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital on the city’s West Side. A medical team removed his spleen and repaired several organs but did not immediately remove the bullet that lodged in his chest. He’s in critical condition, writes the news outlet:

“I can’t breathe,” he kept yelling, banging his fists against the floor, according to his mother, Mellanie Washington.

Nine out of the 19 people who were shot on Monday died. This marks the deadly day of gun violence in Chicago since July 5, 2003—a day on which there were 10 homicides, reports the Tribune:

More than 2,500 people have been shot in the city so far this year, a pace of gun violence not seen here since the late 1990s.  There have been at least 426 homicides.

So far, the police have not arrested anyone in the spate of shootings.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Twitter

SEE ALSO:

Anti-Violence Activist Matthew Williams Killed In Chicago Shooting

Chicago Gun Violence: 32 People Shot In 15 Hours

Boy, 10, Gunned Down But Survives Chicago’s Deadliest Day In Over A Decade  was originally published on newsone.com