Evanston Police are investigating an early morning shooting that nearly claimed the life of a sleeping child.

Someone fired shots at a house in the 2000 block of Dodge Avenue early this morning, according to an EPD news release. Police say the shooting may be connected to this fall’s slew of violence, a product of bad blood between two extended families with gang ties.

No one was injured in the 1 a.m. shooting. However, two young children, ages five and 10, were in the home, and several bullets struck a mattress belonging to one of the sleeping kids.

There have been several recent shootings, some fatal, in the west Evanston neighborhood where today’s incident occurred. Police have ramped up their presence in the area in order to quell community safety concerns.

— Marshall Cohen