Chicago girl jumping rope shot dead
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Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer
An 8-year-old girl, in Chicago, who was jumping rope with a playmate was shot to death by unknown gunmen who opened fire from their bicycles, authorities said. The other girl, who is 7, was grazed in the head by a bullet and is listed in fair condition at a local hospital, police said. Published reports identified the injured girl as the victim’s cousin.
The incident happened Tuesday shortly before 8pm in the south side of the city, investigators said. Officer Robert Perez, a spokesman for the Chicago Police, told CNN two African-American men riding on bikes approached the girls who were jumping rope on the porch of a home.
“We don’t know who or what the target was,” Perez told CNN, “that hasn’t been determined.” Police said they did not know if the shooting was gang related. Detectives “are looking at all possible leads and they do not have anyone arrested for the incident and they are still interviewing witnesses,” Perez said.
The girl who was killed was in the 3rd grade at Kohn Elementary School, said Chicago schools spokeswoman Monique Bond.
The shooting comes just two days after the Chicago Police announced that murders were down 1.5% in July after a 4-month increase.
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Filed under: Crime & Punishment • Gabe Falcon |
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Maybe the feds need to patrol this neighborhood with Predator drones? Its probably safer for an American in Afghanistan. Send in soldiers, its time for martial law in Chicago.
...I think some of you all are looking at this as a "gun control issue," when it's a "gang control issue." Hypothetically, let's say this was a gang or mob hit. The person the gang/mob was looking for went underground. They can't get to him. He's in hiding. So they go after this family, the baby mama or the kids. Let's say, the person the mafia/gang wants turned state evidence, and is talking to the Feds. Or that he robbed another big time drug dealer. Another scenario, the person could have harmed another mob guy's kids. So they plan a hit (the mob or gang), to "send a message." The message is "do not talk to the Feds." Or an Eye for an Eye! It's not a gun control issue. Thank you for reading!
All I'm saying is that this is a new phenom. Something is awry and we need to seriously figure this out. That means no sacred cows. Just an honest and earnest look at life in modern America.
Until adults take responsibility for their children as parents we can expect more of the same. Until then, stop having children to release into society to kill and terrorize others.
I see CNN didn't post my previous comment. Perhaps it was because it was against gun control.
This young girl was shot as a result of gang-crossfire. I don't know how many of you have followed what's going on in Chicago, but the vast majority of homicides are gang-related. That's where the problem is. The police have to crack down on gangs and gang organizations, however Chicago does not have the police manpower to do this. Chicago is down to 11,000 officers on payroll. "Normal" levels of staffing for the police department should be around 13,000. The idea has been tossed around to bring in the National Guard to help police the streets and keep gangs at bay because our own police cannot keep up and we don't have funds to hire additional police because the City of Chicago and State of Illinois are flat broke! I think that to fully stop the problem, police need to infiltrate and shut down gang activity, but in order to do that, a multi-pronged approach is necessary. The community needs to develop social activities to keep youth out of trouble, minimum wages need to raised so that the youth arent growing up in poverty (and hence going gangs to make money and seek an escape). There are a lot of societal and political factors that go into fully tackling this problem. While the death of this young girl is tragic and frightening, I hate to say it , but instances like this are happening daily...there are weekends where 20 people are shot. Granted, not all die from the gunshot wounds but a lot do. This has just become a way of life for Chicagoans, which is what is really sad.
see thing like that is y try to take ur right to prtect ur self from thing like that with gun now they are going to try to pass that dum law on the guns and all they r going to do is just make it easyer for people t buy them off the streets and y is it always black mela that come up in the shoting wat about the white men and othere that shot and kill people just to joun a gang to help them livethat just make them sound like those kids u heir in the store criny cause the parent wold get them the toy or candy i bet if all those kids had got a real wiping to be good and do the right thing there would me no more gangs
You people always scream about the guns! Criminals will always have the guns (like they do in Countries that ban guns) so it's only the non-criminals that don't own them. If everyone on the South Side of Chicago had a gun, those kids would have thought twice or been shot dead instead of still being on the loose. As a Father who lost his oldest child at 12, I am sorry! Wake up people and quit fighting guns, fight the criminals.
This may have been a gang -initiation. From the documentaries I have seen, they are often challenged to commit a daring, most horrifying murder in order to gain acceptance into a gang. This is to show how tough, hard they can be in order to become an official gang member. One guy spoke of how he murdered a group of people at age 11 and was looked up to by fellow gangsters. He spoke of the nightmares he had for yeears, but the act escalated his criminal career and gained him respect/fear from his peers.
kill all black men and gang members than there will be need to make guns.
"...... violence is glorified......"
....wanna come to my neighborhood..?
speak only for yourself sir.
I live in the surrounds of D.C. This type of news is ubiquitous in the Post and local papers. Go figure. What do you expect? Peace and tranquility in those communities that breed this type of animalistic behavior and moronic neanderthals? They're probably chuckling about it right now over a Big Mac and fries which tells you something about their mindset. No parenting, no guidance, no discipline. You put the pieces together. It won't take you very long to come up with a mental picture.
Gun laws are useless, criminals can get their weapons from gangs, back alley deals, or any other number of shady untraceable sources. All gun laws do is disarm honest people and prevent them from protecting their homes and families from criminals. But this isn't about gun laws, a girl is dead and her murderer is still at large.
You can argue politics, left versus right, and rights versus punishments all you want but the fact is the universe is less brighter now because a little girl is dead. She may have cured cancer or brought peace to the world but now we'll never know. Her family is now in unimaginable pain and all anyone seems to want to do is point fingers and yell. Although this means nothing coming from a stranger I am sorry that your little girl is gone. I pray that you will have the strength to face the coming days.
It wasn't the gun that killed this poor girl. It was the boy on the bike. It wasn't totally his fault, I blame us. People are afraid, and they think allowing there kids to have what they want and not be allowed to be disciplined by others, at school makes it safe. The fault is that in our fear we prevent ourselves from properly disciplining our children. If this boy had been in a school system that he had to work at to stay in and not just be passed on. Where teachers where allowed to fail kids, and that kids had to go to school and if failed out where given tests and sent to a stricter but special school to help train them to learn things would improve. I see total anarchy in todays middle class school system. Nothing like when I was there and it's not because I'm old. It is obvious to us all. We need standardized tests that each kid has to take to advance a grade, he passes the exam he advances, he (she) fails they can go summer school try again and if fail again repeat the grade. Mandatory extra curricular activities unless proof of a part time job is established. So many things we need to be doing for these kids, especially in today when technology has information at their fingertips. This, or we just allow, we'll have to, big brother to start monitoring everything. Video cameras on all streets, tracking devices on everyone, and a lack of total privacy. If we don't work on education trust me 20 years form now big brother will be more than big and it will be a reality we'll have no choice.
I've owned guns for fifty years – getting my first .22 when I was nine. So far I have shot exactly zero of my neighbors. My neighbors also own guns however no one has ever been shot in my neighborhood since they began keeping records 93 years ago. My guns are 100% legal and I carry a FOID card. The animals responsible for black-on-black crime have no such restriction – until a few days ago it was illegal to own firearms in Chicago – period. Yet week after week an average of 43 people are shot in Chicago – the murder capital of the United States. It's not the laws – I obey the laws. It's not the gun – I have many guns yet have never used one for illegal purposes. IT IS THE PEOPLE. 70 years of liberal rot has brought the black urban areas complete ruin – and yet they still votes 95%+ democrat.
It is always a sad day when an innocent person, especially a child, is involved in a situation such as this. However, every time there is a shooting or some other crime people want to point the finger and yell "Gun Control"... Let me remind all of you fools who want to try and take away or infringe on the constitutional rights of others, a few very simple and easy to follow messages. 1) People Kill People – Guns do not. 2) If guns kill people, then pencils misspell words. 3) There is no such thing as a good guns. There is no such thing as a bad gun. A gun in the hand of a bad person is a bad thing. A gun in the hand of a good person is no threat to anyone – except bad people. and lastly, 4) Search the web on how many knives are used to kill people – Should we have Federal Knife Control too? Save your life and the lives of those around you – carrying a firearm is your right!
–Erica- it doesn't matter how hard you make it for people to get guns, the bad guys will always have them.
That is the biggest problem with all the gun laws that people want to pass. They want to ban guns everywhere. So if that passes and everyone that went thru all the proper chanels to get a gun and it be legal has to give them up, the only people that will be armed then is the bad guys. Now, I don't know about you, but I'd like to be able to protect myself and my child in my home or wherever against anyone that is breaking the law and trying to rob, rape or otherwise hurt me or my family. When will people realize all of the bans are a waste of time?
Billions of taxpayer dollars go towards fighting wars abroad. What's being done to fight the gang, gun, and drug wars in our home country? Obviously not enough and the crime committed against these innocent children, their families and this community is a prime example of just that. This was a crime against humanity and a senseless act of violence. How could someone not see this coming? How many more children have to get caught up in the crossfire before we make start making some real changes?
What a sad state of affairs when a child can not play on a playground.
We have to make our streets safe and our playgrounds a sanctuary for children. Banning guns is not the answer. Hasn't worked for Chicago yet.
What Chicago should do is have a City wide gun give-away for all
residents. My guess is that within 1 year residents will be able to play on the playgrounds with their children, walk the streets in the evening and
not be concerned about their life or liberties. Chicago will then have the reputation as the quietest and safest city in the USA. The gutless little cretins that are committing these crimes will either be dead or have a greater respect for their neighbors. These people do not care one wit about another persons life. When they know that someone could shoot back they won't be performing these senseless acts of violence. If they are stupid enough to continue this violence then they WILL end up
assuming room tempeture. No repeat offenders in Chicago.
Firearms have been banned in Chicago for literally generations.
Fat lot of good it is doing.
Perhaps now that Chicago is now party of the FULL US Constitution the general populace will give the armed animals in the street pause.
I know that armed and willing citizens in SW Philadelphia kept the mutts at bay in MY neighborhood.
A tragedy, but in America's top city on tough gun control, criminals are still murdering people. It's a testament to how ineffective gun control laws are. The thugs and criminals will always have them.
Gun control/laws ain't gunna keep the guns out of these gangsters/hood rats hands!!! Hand guns have been illegal in Chicago for so many years, but there are over 1M illegal hand guns still in the city.
It's a shame, what happened...........
If the death penalty were enforced in a timely fashion, there might be some relief, but I seriously doubt it. Our country has been taken over by gangs of every type. Enforce the death penalty, so that the consequence to this violence is a swift execution, no appeal, and no mercy.
We have tried the other way for most of this century, and the last, with no results. There must be more of a deterrent to a life of crime and violence than merely a change of address.