Mother, two daughters shot while in vehicle in Hammond

HAMMOND, Ind. (WLS) -- The search continues for suspects who shot a mother and her two daughters in Hammond, Indiana on Sunday.

People inside a church nearby heard the gunshots during Sunday services.

The shooting happened in the 900 block of Morris Street. The woman was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Police say the victims were shot during a robbery. The 41-year-old mother is expected to survive, but her 12- and 15-year-old daughters are both in critical condition.

The shooting left a car window blown out. The occupants of the vehicle, a mother and two young daughters, was wounded by the gunfire.

"Everybody's surprised and shocked. This is just sad to hear about that," said Hammond resident Edlin Smith.

It happened in an alley around 11:20 Sunday morning in the 900 block of Morris Street in Hammond.

Police say the 41-year-old mother and her two daughters, ages 12 and 15, attempted to flee in their car as two men tried to rob them, one of the men opening fire.

"You knew it was an automatic weapon," Smith said. "It was about ten shots. I wasn't sure what it was. As I looked out, I seen nothing."

The shooting took place as many were gathered for church on the same block.

A neighborhood resident who didn't want to be identified says she called 911 after the wounded mother and daughters rolled up to her in their car. The mother apparently shot in the arm, the girls in the lower-body area.

"Both of the daughters, they both were leaned over and crying because of their gun shots," the witness said. "One had the gunshot in her thigh, and another one in her hip area. And they were just saying please help them, help them, they'd been shot."

Police soon arrived. Investigators combed the scene as the three victims were rushed to hospitals, the severity of their injuries unknown.

Police are now searching for the two suspects.

Police say the victims may have been trying to buy a cell phone in the neighborhood. Officials have not released a description of the two suspects.