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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Guns don't kill people. People kill people.
I'll keep my right to bear arms.
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
– Plato (427-347 B.C.)
and
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
– Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), Inaugural Address, January 20, 1953
THANKS FOR NOT POSTING MY COMMENTS.,,,,TOO REAL FOR CNN
.... and Obama wanted the whole world to come to Chicago to watch the Olympics ?????
my prayers go out to the family for their loss. I hope those two end up where they belong with the full weight of law for what they did. but as a gun owner myself i have to remind those who think gun control will solve this problem are totaly not in touch with reality, you see my guns only work when I operate them. without me physicaly handleing them they dont work..... has anyone ever seen a car turn one by it's self and run over someone?
This is Chicago we're talking about. Guns are practically illegal there already. So only the criminals have guns. Fortunately, recent court decisions may reverse this and allow law-abiding citizens to lawfully arm themselves.
Chicago is proof that gun control doesn't work. Guns are illegal in England and Australia too, and they still have gun violence.
Remember...guns don't kill people...idiots who pull the trigger on guns kill people. If it wasn't a gun they would have found some other way to hurt someone. I own guns and I don't shoot kids jumping rope so don't blame it on the guns. Perhaps Chicago isn't a safe place to live anymore??
Can Chicago please get a community organizer that can get results.
This black on black tragety could have been prevented but the mayor does not want to risk a white cop shooting a black gang member and the ensuing rack riots stired by Jessy and Al Sharpton.
Wait, I thought guns were illegal in Chicago? I thought gun bans would put a complete stop to all of this kind of violence? You mean to tell me that gun bans don't really work and that criminals can still find access to guns? SHOCKING
There are more than 100,000,000 guns in the US. Even if you outlaw the sale of new and used guns, how do you get 100,000,000 guns off of the street? Good luck finding anyone to go door-to-door in Texas, Oklahoma or Wyoming to recover those weapons.
We don't need gun control, we need to rid our country of all guns, except for the military and law enforcement officials. All we have to do is round up the 200 million guns floating around America.
Funny how not a single person has asked where the parents were of the kids that had the guns. If you don't watch your kids and set parameters, they are going to get into trouble including killing people. My bet is that the shooters aren't even 18 years old. Stop blaming the guns and start blaming the parents.
The problem with having the right to bear arms, and so many guns in the country is that eventually the guns WILL fall into the hands of the wrong people.
The people who exercise their right to bear arms, and insist on it, have the blood of this child and tens of thousands of others on their hands.
You dont need these guns. You dont need to exercise your right to bear arms.
You like having guns around, and lots of people, including children skipping rope, will continue to die because of your "right"
Live with your choices and accept responsibility. Give up your right to bear arms so more children dont get shot down in the street.
Criminals will kill, there is no doubt about it.
The question is how easy are we as a society going to make it on them to kill, by providing them all these guns.
Maybe if a gun was a rare expensive commodity every kid on a bicyle in Chicago wouldnt have one like they do now.
Yes, Dr. Flint.....just make sure the little girls jumping rope have fully autos and extra mags......that's what the "nuts" are trying to say, so glad you could see our point.
I recently took a tour of Chicago. When I stopped at a stoplight a bunch of young kids 5-7 yrs old screamed, "f*ck you!" I then realized, this is a cultural problem that will not change easily. Does this story surprise me? no.
Here in Los Angeles a few days ago, some latino gang bangers drove past a house where a 9 year old latino girl (just in case someone screams racist!) was playing and opened fire on her. Several bullets passed thru the metal fence but, fortunately, missed the child.
As poster AUGSBEE commented (above) the actions of these peole are mainly the result of the bleeding heart brigade who seem to favor these criminals instead of the victims. Of course, the criminals treat their offences as a joke. We have become way too lenient with these offenders and way too soft on the bleeding heart brigade.
These criminals are useless (and sometimes dangerous) to society. It's even a stretch to call them human beings. They are not interested in "rehabilitation" so why do we continue to bother wasting our time (and tax dollars) dealing with them. The answer(s) are simple. (A) Catch them. (B) Convict them on the evidence. (C) Imprison them for life and I do mean LIFE. Not 15 years and out in 5 years to start all over again.
Preferably, if their offence is gun related, we need to build military style prisons to house them in. No tv. No workout programs. No recreation. 23 hours a day locked up. If they protest, lock them up for 24 hours a day. Problem solved.
Here we go again - out come the anti-gun, anti-Constitution folks with their "one size fits all" remedy for crime.
You people do not even know why we are supposed to have the right to bear arms in the first place. (It's not for hunting deer, BTW.)
Please go do a little research and figure it out for yourselves so you finally learn something important.
@mike smith- I couldn't agree more
So when the people are caught we can just let them go and put the guns on trial. Since fault lies with the guns there really is no need to arrest and try the people. Once the guns are taken away, the people on the bikes will be fine, upstanding citizens of Chicago. It is highly unlikely that the killers rode their bikes to a gun store for their purchases.
This is truly a horrific crime. My prayers and thoughts are with the family of the victims. And as much as I don't ever want one in my own home, the mere fact that guns are available in the US is NOT why this happened. Guns do not kill kids- people with guns and no moral center kill kids. Sure, it's a little EASIER since guns are available, but those who want them would find a way.
Bad guys don't buy the guns legally. We all know that. They "manage" to get them by stealing them from all those "good" folks that buy them for their own protection, then hide them in such "secure" places as their night stand, their glove box, their closet shelf or under their mattress.. Bad guys acquire them from "good" citizens that have drug problems or kids with drug problems and then trade them for dope. Or the "good" citizen pawns them to an unscrupulous pawn shop when times are tough. "Good" citizens leave them in wills to people that shouldn't have them. "Good citizens" sell them in trading posts, classified ads, Craigs List etc. Gun Control will work by keeping guns out of he hands of many "good" citizens that should not own guns in the first place. By limiting the number and types of guns that the "good" citizens have access to will eventually cut down on the guns that the bad guys acquire.
I hear myself asking this every time something like this happens, but what kind of special evil is required to kill a child?!?!?
Will blacks riot over this like they did in Oakland or whenever they perceive that a white-on-black crime has been committed? Some of you act like these kind of things happen in the suburbs. This is a black/latino phenomenon. It happens everyday. Personally, I don't care but if you do then why not move into Chicago and "change" and bring "hope?" It's funny how this happened in Obama's workplace but he wouldn't even live there- he lived with whites!
@Mike Smith: most illegally obtained guns are stolen guns that were legally obtained, by the original owner. A gun is a gun. The less the better.
To Jim: Exactly – violence is glorified. Look how many movie posters have guns on them. Even (or should I say – especially) stars like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt who do a lot of humanitarian work – glorify guns and violence in their films like there's no tomorrow. It is contradictory and stupid and is a lame excuse for lazy storytelling. As an Australian and Canadian – I am horrified, shocked and appalled by US gun laws. Columbine anyone?
Seems like a lot of gun controll freaks on hear. It doesn't matter if guns are legal or illeagal gangs and drunk dealers are always going to have them. Directing this toward taking your constitutional right away is just ignorant. This is sad and I feel so bad for the family but if all families carried a weapon this place would be safer. People like that would think twice before shooting into or breaking into a home of some one that carries a fire arm. Also don't forget you have the right to carry weapon to protect you from the Government not people.
No Augsbee, it continues to happen because anybody can get a gun in this country.
Gun sales are a business and the gun manufacturers, backed by the NRA, are laughing all the way to the bank. They sell to both sides–those that create fear using firearms and those who are afraid and want to protect themselves. It is in the gun manufacturers best interest to keep the conflict going and prevent gun control as much as possible (they are also happy to supply for wars....). In the meantime we, common citizens, have lost our freedom. We cannot go anywhere without the threat of gun violence lurking. It is NOT like this in countries with common sense gun controls. In our country, so awash with guns, it is no wonder so many innocent people are killed. And NO one is talking about outlawing guns, gun CONTROL is what we want. Either that or we must arm all of our children. What a world.
Federal law requires all handgun and handgun ammunition purchasers to be 21 years old. These guys were riding bicycles, which leads me to assume they weren't out of their early teens. More gun control laws aren't the answer, how about enforcing the laws we already have. I promise you that when the police do catch the shooter they will find that he already has a long history of violent assaults. He has probably been arrested a half dozen times, but some liberal, bleeding heart judge puts him back on the street because he is only 14 and he comes from a broken home and a bad neigborhood environment. Put him in prison for the rest of his life...
Remember genocide in Rwanda? They did it without guns. This staff doesn't happen in Ireland because people in Ireland are different from people on south side of Chicago. Gun control has nothing to do with it.
Guns don't kill people, dangerous minorities do.
binva,
But what is their population ratio to ours?
I agree, gun control laws only take guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens. Criminals will always find ways to smuggle guns as evidenced by how frequently drugs are smuggled.
Yes keeping citizens from from owning guns will stop kids from being killed. Thats why almost every week in China some nutjob runs into a school & stabs 26 children. Cant own a gun there yet everytime you look in the news 15 more people were stabbed by some dude. And guess what if you take away knives, theyll find other stuff. You should watch Hard Time or Lockdown. Prisoners cant own guns or knives yet they make weapons out of toothbrushes,bedsprings & other stuff every day & successfully kill someone. So tell me how taking the gun out of the house of a person who just wants to be protected from invasion, will make us safer against the idiots who will use whatever they can in the streets?
I totally support being armed, as is our constitutional right. I also think you should have to jump through legitimate hoops to attain them. This is a tragic story and my heart goes out to the family. I want to be able to protect my family if this nut crawls into my window.
I disagree with Dave. Not everyone who kills someone with a gun was a criminal before that–sometimes things get heated and a gun is too close at hand "for protection." Sometimes little kids find a gun in the house and accidentally blow their sister's head off. Certainly making guns illegal would get rid of a lot of shootings just because people (like kids or despondent adults) wouldn't have as much access to them. It would also become easy to tell if someone with a gun was up to no good, since by definition they'd be breaking the law (unless they were the law). I'm all for it.
We need to isolate the neighborhoods where this type of violence is repeatedly happening, such as in the motion picture "Escape From New York". I love that movie. Once you decide to live inside, it's your own risk. To leave the zone you must be rigidly screened and approved. Outside the zone laws can be enacted to control firearms, as the framers of the Constitution of the United States did not have in mind, what today's gun situation is in America. The lawmaking bodies of today cannot see the forest for the trees.
It clearly says in the constitution that I can bare arms in an organized militia. So i assume the gunmen were in an organized militia of some sort. These crybabies that want to restrict guns so militias cannot roam the streets are unbelievable.
It is obvious that Chicago must now ban bicycles.
It's not even about guns – it's about a culture that thinks life is short, brutal, violent and cheap. Until the mindset changes and people respect life, there will be more senseless deaths. Take away the guns and the same people would kill with knives, baseball bats or their bare hands.
For all you banning guns stuff and how this doesn't happen in Ireland, these kinds of killings were happening all over Ireland, especially in the North and little children were victims. Oh, by the way, guns were banned there totally but the perps had hoardes of them. It's the society and its values that creates this problem. Nothing else. We have only ourselves to blame for glorifying this kind of violence in every form of media in parts of our culture.
The murder rate in Canada is 1/3 that of ours and the difference lies mainly in the rate of gun murders. The inanely worded arguments that criminals will always have guns, will not be affected by gun laws, yadda, yadda, yadda are simply refuted by the facts. That is, unless you want to accept that Canadians are fundamentally morally and intellectually superior to Americans. As an ex-pat Canadian I would love to believe that was true. Alas, my experience belies that. We're all cut from pretty much the same cloth. The difference is virtually unlimited access to firearms in the US. As usual life, presents us with tradeoffs/compromises: which freedom is more important? A child's right to play outside her home or some demented conspiracist's right to play soldier?
A disgrace to Chicago – RIP
The gun nuts think the little girl should have been armed too. Give everyone a gun right?
The blame in this tragedy is shared by all of us. It's about a world that we've created and continue to live in. Violence is an act of hopelessness. It's about people who, deep down inside, live without real hope. This poor girl...R.I.P.
I completely agree with Mike Smith. The kids that shot the girls most likely had an unregistered gun. So making guns illegal won't stop thugs like them from getting guns. That's only going to piss off the good people who own a gun to protect their family. In my opinion, this all ties back to the illegal drug trade from Mexico.
To everyone calling for more gun control: do you seriously think that these two nutjobs murdered this poor girl with legally purchased firearms? That they picked up their guns from the shop (practically impossible to do in Chicago, btw) after the mandatory background check, waiting period, and then went cruising in S. Chicago on *bikes* looking for a victim? Come back to reality...
Dave: Your children are already defenseless. The proliferation of firearms only makes accidents and crimes of passion more likely. Returning fire in this situation is a fantasy. If you want to talk about statistics, more people are killed by gun accidents than by folks defending themselves in a crime. Guns aren't protection.
Mike Smith: Ahhh, so you would condemn a whole neighborhood or group of people because of where they live? Just fence in the neighborhoods with "those sort of people" and let them kill each other off like in Escape from New York. What a pathetic idea.
I love these people from countries in Europe that are smaller than some American states who talk about how stupid American gun rights are. They don't seem to realize that Europe produces more guns than America, or that there are European countries with worse murder rates than the US.
Why don't these same enlightened Europeans simply discuss the crime rates in Iowa. They don't because it doesn't fit their argument.