A six year old boy was among three people injured in an apparent shooting spree on South Bend’s Southeast side over the weekend.

The boy had just finished kindergarten in the South Bend Community Schools.

The boy’s mother today told News Center 16 that her son was “shaken and afraid,” but that he had been released from the hospital Sunday night after being shot in the back shortly after midnight on Sunday morning.

According to the mother, the bullet missed the boys spine, but damaged muscle and tissue. The child was said to be in pain and having trouble walking.

“Right now, we have descriptions, three or four male blacks and a mini-van,” said Sgt. Lee Ross of the South Bend Police Department.

The South Bend Police are urging anyone with information on the shootings to call Crime Stoppers at 288-STOP.

The six year old boy was returning home from a day long family gathering across town when the shooting was taking place.

According to his mother the boy was out of the car and about a foot from his front porch in the 600 block of Pennsylvania Street when he was shot in the back.

The mini-van carrying the shooters then turned around and drove by again. On the second pass, the boy’s father was shot in the leg as he attempted to place the youngster back in the car for a trip to the hospital.

“We don’t know exactly what the motive is right now, we don’t know why they were shooting,” said Sgt. Lee Ross.

Mercedes Newbill has lived on Pennsylvania Street for 10-years. He wasn’t exactly surprised at the tragic turn of events. “To be honest, it’s South Bend, so pretty much everything go down around here, I wouldn’t hope to expect it, but….”

Newbill did indicate that the activity in the neighborhood had definitely crossed a line: “It’s terrible though when you’re targeting kids, you know what I’m saying?”

Police believe the shooting spree started around 10:40 p.m. outside a home in the 100-block of East Milton. At that time, the shooters were apparently on foot.

“It was real foggy that night, and it was probably about, it was two guys down there in white shirts and they just got to shooting,” said Armand White.

White was attending a family gathering at the home. He estimates that he heard roughly 20-gunshots.

“There was a lot of people out here, kids out here, elderly people out there, all that, it was a family get together, Fourth of July,” White said.

White says one bullet hit his 18-year old cousin in the leg. Police identify the victim as Jamie Peterson.

Officers say at least two other homes along Pennsylvania Street were struck by gunfire.