A 10-year-old boy was shot Wednesday in Chicago toward the end of a day that saw at least three people slain and 20 others wounded, police and local media said.

The boy was standing on North Waller Avenue just before 8 p.m. when a group of men on a nearby street corner began fighting, said Officer Hector Alfaro, a Chicago Police Department spokesman.

During the melee, one of the men pulled out a handgun and opened fire, Alfaro said.

“I’m assuming he was shooting at the other individuals,” he added. “He wasn’t shooting at the child.”

The boy was wounded in the right buttock and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, Alfaro said. No information about his condition was available early Thursday, though Alfaro said he believed the child was “stable.”

Chicago detectives were continuing their investigation Thursday, and no arrests had been made, Alfaro said.

The city’s first 80-degree day in seven months brought a wave of violence, with an average of one per hour at one point, NBCChicago.com reported.

Three cases were fatal, according to NBCChicago.com:

A man in his 30s was found dead in an alley in the 1900 block of South Drake overnight. After midnight, the first murder of May happened in the South Shore neighborhood where a 27-year-old man was shot in the chest near his home at 68th and Cornell. Neighbors said the man was a father of three.

Another shooting happened in front of the University of Illinois-Chicago police station, where three men were struck around 10:40 p.m. A 19- year-old died. Police said he was a known gang member.

The violence came less than a month after the police department announced that crime in the city had fallen 8 percent in the year’s first quarter, compared with the same period a year earlier, and 15 percent from 2011.

Murders fell by 42 percent in the quarter and shootings by 27 percent, the department said in a news release.

The Austin neighborhood, where the boy was shot, however, saw a rise last year in the numbers of murders and shootings, according to police statistics.

The district, one of 77 in the city of 2.7 million, had 26 murders in 2012, up from 19 the year before, and 116 shootings, up from 98.

Ted S. Warren / AP

A Seattle Police officer with a baton tries to fend off protesters during a May Day anti-capitalism protest that ended with demonstrators clashing with police on Wednesday.

SEATTLE -- Protesters clashed with police in Seattle on Wednesday as a May Day rally that began peacefully turned violent after dark, with demonstrators hurling objects at officers who responded with flash-bang grenades and pepper spray.

One protester was seen using a skateboard to smash windows at a Walgreens drug store in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood, and others overturned trash cans and lined up newspaper display racks to block police.

Matt Mills Mcknight / Reuters

A demonstrator attempts to break a window of a pharmacy in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood during May Day demonstrations Wednesday.

Officers in riot gear, some riding in armored SWAT vehicles, repeatedly used the flash-bang grenades and tried to disperse the crowd.

Seattle police said that as of 9 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET), 11 adults and two juveniles had been arrested for assaults and property damage. Several people were shown on local TV stations being taken into custody.

Seattle police said in a tweet that one officer was injured by a thrown object. His condition was not immediately clear.

The violence broke out as darkness fell in Seattle following a day of May Day rallies in cities across the U.S. West that were planned by a coalition of organized labor activists, students, civil rights advocates and members of the clergy to call for an overhaul of immigration laws.

In Los Angeles, thousands of protesters marched through downtown waving American flags and carrying signs with the slogan, "Stop deportations."

The demonstrators chanted in Spanish, "Obama! Escucha! Estamos en la lucha!" ("Obama! Listen! We are in the fight!"), as they marched down one of downtown's main thoroughfares.

The march spanned across more than two large city blocks, and one police officer told Reuters that unofficial estimates put the size of the crowd at roughly 3,500 people. No arrests were reported.

In Arizona, where a state crackdown against illegal immigration was signed into law three years ago, several hundred people joined a late-afternoon rally outside the state Capitol in Phoenix, ahead of a march through downtown.

The protests come about two weeks after a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced an 844-page bill, backed by President Barack Obama, that would rewrite many U.S. immigration laws.

A centerpiece of the measure would create a path to legal status and ultimately citizenship for many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

It also aims to secure the U.S. border with Mexico against illegal entry and to make it easier for industry, particularly high-tech businesses and agriculture, to hire workers from abroad when needed.

Related:

Occupy LA sues city over mass detentions

NBC News in depth: Immigration Nation

Lm Otero / AP

The family of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, comfort each other during their funeral services at the First Baptist Church of Wortham on April 5, in Wortham, Texas.

Lm Otero / AP

Pallbearers carry the remains of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, out of the First Baptist Church of Wortham after their funeral services on April 5, in Wortham, Texas.

Lm Otero / AP

Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks on as a flag is folded to present to the family of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia after a memorial services in Mesquite, Texas on April 4.

LM Otero / AP

Wyvonne McLelland, mother of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland receives a flag from Nathan Foreman, during the grave side funeral services for the couple in Wortham, Texas, April 5.

A slain Texas prosecutor and his wife were laid to rest today in the small town where he grew up, as the hunt for answers to his death continues.

The Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found shot to death Saturday in their house near Forney, Texas about 20 miles east of Dallas.  No arrests have been made.

Related links:

• 'Why Kaufman county?' Locals wonder about DA murder
• Second Texas man charged with making 'terroristic threat' after DA's killing

Colorado Dept. of Corrections / AP

Police said Thomas Guolee's name surfaced during an investigation into the death of Colorado prisons chief Tom Clements.

DENVER -- Two more men connected to a violent white supremacist gang are being sought in connection with the slaying of Colorado's prisons chief, and authorities are warning officers that they are armed and dangerous.

The search comes about two weeks after prison gang member Evan Ebel — a suspect in the death of Department of Corrections chief Tom Clements on March 19 and of Nathan Leon, a pizza deliveryman, two days earlier — was killed in a shootout with Texas deputies.

While it's not clear whether the gang, the 211 Crew, is linked to the killing, the warning bulletin issued late Wednesday by the El Paso County Sheriff's Department is the first official word that other gang members may be involved.

James Lohr, 47, and Thomas Guolee, 31, aren't being called suspects in Clements' death, but their names have surfaced during the investigation, El Paso County sheriff's Lt. Jeff Kramer said. He wouldn't elaborate.

Kramer said the two are known associates of the 211 gang.

Ebel is the only suspect that investigators have named in Clements' death, but they haven't given a motive. They have said they're looking into his connection to the gang he joined while in prison, and whether that was connected to the attack.

Colo. Dept. Of Corrections / AP, file

Evan Spencer Ebel led Texas authorities on a 100 mph car chase that ended in a shootout on March 21. He has been linked to the slaying of Colorado's state prison chief.

"Investigators are looking at a lot of different possibilities. We are not stepping out and saying it's a hit or it's not a hit. We're looking at all possible motives," Kramer said Wednesday.

Investigators have said the gun Ebel used in the Texas shootout was also used to kill Clements when the prisons chief answered the front door of his home.

Sheriff's investigators said they don't know the whereabouts of Lohr and Guolee or if they are together, but Kramer said it's possible one or both of them could be headed to Nevada or Texas.

Both are wanted on warrants unrelated to Clements' death, and authorities believe they are armed and dangerous.

Guolee is a parolee who served time for intimidating a witness and giving a pawnbroker false information, among other charges, court records show. Lohr was being sought on warrants out of Las Animas County for a bail violation and a violation of a protection order, according to court records.

The 211 gang is one of the most vicious white supremacist groups operating in U.S. prisons, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremist groups. It was founded in 1995 to protect white prisoners from attacks and operates only in Colorado, according to the center.

Ebel joined the 211 Crew after he entered prison in 2005 for a string of assault and menacing charges that combined for an eight-year sentence. He was supposed to spend an extra four years in prison for punching a prison officer in the face in 2006, but a clerical error led that sentence to be recorded as one to be served simultaneously with his previous sentences.

He was released on parole Jan. 28.

Related:

Clerical error set Colo. slaying suspect free

Link suggested between prosecutor's slaying and racist gang

Gun linked to Colo. slaying leads to woman's arrest

Several teens were arrested after dozens of mob groups began attacking pedestrians on Chicago’s downtown Magnificent Mile area on Saturday night.

Police responded to reports of disturbances near Michigan and Chicago Avenues.

Police said 28 teens were arrested during the incident and no serious injuries were reported.

The teens charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct and battery and later released, according to News Affairs Officer Perkus.

Eleven other teens were charged with the same misdemeanor charges after they attacked a group of women on the CTA Red Line, police said.

Read more stories at NBCChicago.com

“You have over three to four hundred teenagers with mob action, jumping on individuals that are downtown,” said community activist Andrew Holmes. “Multiple people have been arrested and I caution those parents that get this call about your child being arrested -- maybe you need to check your child.”

Officers began breaking up the attacks by ushering teens to the Red Line. Chaos continued underground but many attackers reportedly left the area.

“I just saw a cluster run down to the Red Line,” said Red Line passenger Amanda Dobson. “I didn't know what was going on. I just kind of stepped back and let the police do what they needed to do.”

Police continued to patrol the area on bikes, horses and on foot as smaller groups wandered around the Loop.

It is not clear if the attacks are related to a similar mobbing of Ford City Mall last month.

Residents were concerned that this could be the first in a long line of attacks after warm weather brought on a string of similar instances last year.

"It's been happening a lot around here," said Eric Baldinger, who works along the Magnificent Mile. "Just keep your wallet close and your purse closer."

Others said the attacks were disappointing and feared for the future of the city.

"I think it’s very childish," said resident Angelica Wilson. "That’s what wrong with the generation today because there’s always petty fights going on down here and everybody getting hurt. We don’t need more problems."

NEW YORK CITY -- The NYPD is again planning to beef up patrols in Times Square and Midtown the night of Easter Sunday, a day that in recent years has seen violence as part of a yearly gang initiation ritual following the Javits Center car show.

Police say the Easter Day "wilding" started years ago but became especially violent in 2010, when hundreds of gang members attended the annual auto show at the Javits Center, then conducted gang initiations in Times Square.

Two women were shot during the sprawling brawl, two other people were wounded and several police officers injured. More than 50 people were arrested.

Since then, police have beefed up Easter patrols and monitored activity at the car show. The Daily News reports the NYPD is also monitoring social media to look for gang members who may be planning a "mobbing" through Times Square.

Read more news from NBCNewYork.com

There have not been any gang incidents on Easter since 2010, and the NYPD is looking to keep it that way.

"For me, it's a religious holiday and it should be respected," said Michael Hoard in Times Square Friday night.

The police "are here to protect us, that's the bottom line," said Al Centrella of Hempstead, who was in the area with his wife to see a show.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A wheelchair-dependent double amputee has been charged with shooting and critically wounding an Alaska Wal-Mart manager over a disagreement about a service dog.

Daniel Pirtle, 45, was caught while attempting to flee the Anchorage store on his motorized wheelchair, according to police reports about the Saturday incident.

He was charged with first-degree assault and weapons misconduct, and on Tuesday declined a public defender, telling the judge that he preferred to represent himself. "I know how to do that," he said at the pre-indictment hearing.

The shooting left Jason Mahi, 33, in critical condition at a local hospital, a family member said.

The dispute was over a service dog used by Pirtle, according to police reports. Mahi was shot in the abdomen after he asked Pirtle to leash the dog. An off-duty police officer shopping at the store detained Pirtle, according to police reports.

Pirtle had two pistols with him at the store and later admitted to detectives that he had shot Mahi, according to an information report filed by the local district attorney.

Mahi's brother, Brandon Mahi, said the victim remained unconscious on Tuesday. "We're just praying every day," Brandon Mahi said after Pirtle's brief court appearance.

He said the family is upset that Wal-Mart continued to do business after the shooting. "They just kept running like nothing even happened," he said.

Dianna Gee, a spokeswoman at Wal-Mart's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., said that, "considering the circumstances," store employees "did an amazing job at handling a very difficult situation."

"Their focus was on tending to the medical-emergency needs, getting help to the scene and making sure there was no immediate threat to the customers," Gee told Reuters, adding that the company had been providing support to Mahi's family since the shooting.

Although police secured the shooting scene on Saturday, the store did not close after the incident, said Anita Shell, a spokeswoman for the Anchorage Police Department.

If Mahi dies, murder charges will be added, said Anita Shell, a spokeswoman for the Anchorage Police Department.

Complete coverage: "Flashpoint: Guns in America"

Chicago police say already this year, they have seized more than 680 guns citywide. Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said that large number illustrates the need for tougher gun penalties.

"There are parts of this city, on the south and west side, where we’re fighting with the gangs to get the guns off the street and stop the violence," McCarthy said.

With a national focus on Chicago and what many view as an alarming murder rate, McCarthy and Mayor Rahm Emanuel have repeatedly insisted that for the most part, the city is actually very safe, with isolated but very violent pockets.

Read More at NBCChicago.com

An analysis of crime statistics would seem to bear that out. While Chicago’s 20th Ward on the south side had an astounding 34 homicides in the last year, and the 24th Ward on the west side had another 30, there are two wards in the city, the 40th and 43rd, where there were no murders at all.

Indeed, another 15 wards had three murders or fewer in the last year.

But at the same time, seven wards saw more than 19 homicides. The 16th ward, on Chicago’s south side, had 28.

In every case, the most violent communities are also the city’s poorest.

"It terrorizes people," said Ald. Willie Cochran, whose 20th ward tops the murder list.

Cochran is a former police officer, who has backed the Superintendent’s crime reduction strategy. But he says it is hard for residents of his community to take comfort in crime statistics which show other parts of the city are safe, when they live in constant fear.

"I want my community to be safe now," he said.

McCarthy noted that already this year, his officers have made over two and a half times the number of gun arrests than their counterparts in New York City, a metropolis three times the size of Chicago. McCarthy blames what he views as lax gun laws in Chicago, where he says violations of gun ordinances draw only a six-month maximum sentence.

"Everybody says Chicago has tough gun laws," McCarthy said. "Patently false."

Earlier Monday, a group of high school students skipped school to stage a march to the spot where King College Prep High School student Hadiya Pendleton was gunned down last week.

"Every single day, people are shot out here, and it’s us kids," said student Chelsea James. "We’re supposed to bury our mothers. Not our mothers burying us."

Choking back tears, fellow student Jordan Willis pleaded with Mayor Emanuel to pour more resources into the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods.

"We’re trying to help our future," she said. "If all the future’s dying, then there’s nothing left."

Carlo Allegri / Reuters

The casket of slain firefighter Tomasz Kaczowka is brought out of St. Stanislaus Church following his funeral service in Rochester, N.Y., on Dec. 31. Kaczowka was killed along with firefighter Michael Chiapperini while responding to a fire in Webster, New York on Dec. 24, where William Spengler shot at first responders. Two other firefighters were injured while seven house burned.

Jamie Germano / Democrat and Chronicle Pool via AP

West Webster firefighters walk in procession with the casket of fellow firefighter Tomasz Kaczowka during his funeral at St. Stanislaus Church in Rochester, N.Y., on Monday.

Jamie Germano / Democrat and Chronicle Pool via AP

Janina and Marian Kaczowka, right, leave the church at the end of a funeral for their son, West Webster firefighter Tomasz Kaczowka, at St. Stanislaus Church in Rochester, N.Y., on Monday.

Carlo Allegri / Reuters

Kimberly Ciapperini attends the funeral of slain firefighter Tomasz Kaczowka at St. Stanislaus Church after his funeral service in Rochester, N.Y., on Monday. Kimberly is the widow of Michael Ciapperini, who was laid to rest yesterday.

West Webster firefighter Tomasz Kaczowka, 19, was laid to rest on Monday, after he and fellow firefighter Michael Chiapperini were ambushed and killed while responding to a fire on Dec. 24, according to the Democrat and Chronicle. Two other firefighters were also injured. Chiapperini's funeral was held on Sunday, the Associated Press reports.

Jamie Germano / Democrat and Chronicle Pool via AP

A West Webster firefighter carries a program during the funeral for fellow West Webster firefighter Tomasz Kaczowka at St. Stanislaus Church in Rochester, N.Y., on Monday.

Carlo Allegri / Reuters

Firefighters wait for the casket of slain firefighter Tomasz Kaczowka to be brought outside of St. Stanislaus Church following his funeral service in Rochester, N.Y., on Monday.

Carlo Allegri / Reuters

A sign at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery is seen during the burial of slain firefighter Tomasz Kaczowka following his funeral service in Rochester, N.Y., on Monday.