A woman driving her four children was critically wounded in a shooting that sparked a SWAT response in south suburban Dolton Wednesday night, officials say.

The shooting took place at around 7 p.m. near the intersection of Sibley Boulevard and Chicago Road, according to community activist and Dolton Trustee Andrew Holmes.

Believed to be in her 40s, Holmes said the woman had just picked up her four children from daycare and was driving eastbound when she was caught in the crossfire of a shooting.

She was shot in the head, according to Holmes, who said her van then careened for several blocks before stopping near Thornbridge High School.

A woman is in “very critical” condition after she was shot in suburban Dolton on Wednesday evening, according to community activist and Dolton Trustee Andrew Holmes. NBC 5‘s Dick Johnson reports.

(Published Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019)

The woman was taken in critical condition to an area hospital, officials said. Her children were believed to have escaped the incident unharmed.

“The kids are with other family members that came and got them, they are shaken up,” Holmes said. “It was their mom in the car and we’re going to do what we can. We’re going to reach out to family later on today, working with the chief and mayor.”

The shooting prompted a major investigation that included a SWAT situation at a home on Oak Street near Sibley overnight. Holmes said someone was seen running toward the house, prompting the response from law enforcement agencies. Authorities have not said if anything or any suspects have been found at the home.

Holmes said there were numerous shell casings at the site of the shooting, all part of evidence collected by police as they search for the gunman.

Further details were not immediately available and the investigation into the shooting remained ongoing.