Shorty’s Dead: (First Video Below)

Mother’s Day, 2016: Chicago was supposed to be calm as advocacy groups called for a peaceful weekend – a cessation from the typical violence that has terrorized and marred Windy City neighborhoods for far too long. New York might be the city that never sleeps, but Chicago may as well be known as the city where the shooting never stops. Nonetheless, instead of a weekend of calm and peaceful Mother’s Day celebrations, the city seemed to gorge itself on murderous behavior that might aptly be described as a Mother’s Day shooting massacre.

On May 8, 2016, in the third largest city in the United States, gun violence did not take a holiday. In fact, shootings in Chicago are so prevalent that a local newspaper literally keeps count of the incidences. Every weekend, from Friday to Sunday, the “Chicago Tribune” continuously adds new gun-related violence to ongoing breaking news reports.

Guardian Liberty Voice reported three shootings this weekend: two in the North Lawndale Neighborhood and one in Humboldt Park. The first occurred on Friday at approximately 3:20 p.m. in Humboldt Park, where a 17-year-old male nicknamed “Shorty” was fatally struck by a bullet to the head at the intersection of Chicago and Drake. Steve Rogers was driving past the intersection of Chicago and Drake as he was dropping his father off. Rounding the corner, Rogers heard the high-pitched sound of police sirens as a flurry of law enforcement vehicles headed his way. The young videographer quickly decided to steer in the direction of law enforcement. In spite of arriving on an extremely emotional and chaotic scene, Rogers was able to capture the terror that would set the tone for a Mother’s Day weekend and that would replay itself over and over through Sunday night.

Late Saturday night, May 7, a 16-year-old was shot in the leg and transported to the hospital. The second shooting happened on Mother’s Day in mid-afternoon when a man was shot near the intersection of West Arlington Street and South Homan Avenue. He, too, was transported to the hospital. He succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

According to the tally from the “Chicago Tribune,” in a 48-hour period, there were 32 violent crimes involving gunfire that left at least 27 injured and three dead. Conversely, the NBC News affiliate in Chicago reported 41 people were wounded and seven lost their lives to gun violence. The following are some of the reported shootings and related injuries or deaths.

The first reported incidents took place before 11:00 a.m. CDT, on Friday, May 6. In separate incidents, two of the three shooting victims were in serious or critical condition. One of them was struck in the back and the other in the head. The third was wounded in his leg; one bullet hit his calf and the other, his thigh. These shootings were merely the beginning of the 2016 Mother’s Day weekend massacre in Chicago.

Later in the day there were three shootings, which all took place over a short period of time. The first was a 30-year-old man who sustained a minor gunshot wound to his wrist. At the same time, across town in Lawndale, a young man was shot multiple times by an assailant who jumped from an SUV and fired his gun at his victim. Less than ten minutes later, there was a drive-by shooting in the Roseland neighborhood. The victim suffered injuries from bullet wounds in his knees.

In Gresham, an hour later, another drive-by shooting was reported. This time, two men were subjected to the violence of attackers. Both victims were shot below their knees. However, during this attack, someone fired back at the departing vehicle. There was no information about the vehicle, nor was it clear if its occupants had been injured.

A 29-year-old man was perhaps the first gun-related fatality during Mother’s Day weekend. He was with friends at an outside party in the neighborhood of Greater Grand Crossing. The deadly bullet hit him in the stomach. After being transported to the hospital, the young man was declared dead.

The next death due to gun violence occurred nearly 24 hours later. This victim was found in a vehicle, where he had been shot in the chest and died before he was discovered. Reports claim that he was the driver, noting that his car did not come to a stop until it hit a parked vehicle.

An Archer Heights resident was fatally shot while eating supper on Saturday night. The police and the Cook County medical examiner arrived shortly after 8:30 p.m. and pronounced him dead at the scene. The police believed that he was not the intended victim. They further determined that the weapon used in the crime was fired from outside his home.

The victim was identified as 58-year-old Andre Rivera. Not only was he the oldest fatality of the Mother’s Day massacre, but he was allegedly the father of at least one gang member. As such, the Chicago police reported that the shooting may have been gang-related.

Most of the violence that took place over the weekend was due to drive-by shootings. Moreover, males surpassed the number of female victims.

The first reported female victim was on Friday night. Fortunately, her wound was minor, and she was able to transport herself to the hospital.

Another woman and her male friend were leaving a party around 1:30 a.m. on the South Side of Chicago when they were assaulted by gunfire. They each received minor injuries, and, according to the police, are in good condition.

The Chicago police scanners were extremely busy on a day set aside to celebrate mothers. Untrail D. Boyd, a Guardian Liberty Voice Photojournalist and Videographer, stated, “I heard reports of shots fired all day on the scanner. There were far too many to count.”

According to statistics prepared in October 2015, someone in the great city is shot an average of every 2.8 hours. These numbers were gathered between Jan. 1 and Oct. 6, 2015. Overall, during the 10-month stretch, there were almost 2,400 people injured by gunfire. That number eclipses the total number of shooting victims for the entire year of 2014.

Of all the U.S. homicides in 2010, 85 percent were committed using a gun. The Center for American Progress statistics indicate those deaths occurred among those aged between 15 and 24 years old. This number constitutes the fifth leading cause of death for young people in the United States.

The families in the Windy City saw far too many incidents of death and injuries this past weekend. Mother’s Day is a national holiday set aside to honor that portion of the population which gives birth, raises young ones and then nurtures them throughout their lives. The day is not reserved for those women to mourn death or to care for victims of gun-related violence. Instead, there was a mass of shootings tantamount to a massacre or, at the very least, the net impact of a massacre during the 2016 Mother’s Day weekend.

Written and Edited by Cathy Milne & DiMarkco Chandler

Videographers:

Untrail D Boyd

Steve Rogers

Editor’s Note:

In closing, the Guardian Liberty Voice publication would be remiss if it did not mention the importance of Untrail D. Boyd, Fred Cooper, Derek Brown, James Cannon, and Steve Rogers for providing this news outlet with information and visual optics necessary to construct comprehensive and honest reporting of some of the terrifying events affecting Chicago, citywide. The video above communicates terror that has too often been ignored by public officials who have sworn to protect and serve. It is time to put an end to the marginalization of these undeserved citizens who genuinely seek liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness – just like anybody else.

The video is especially in honor of those young men and women who have been excluded from the kind of liberty, justice and pursuit of happiness promised by the United States Constitution. The mantra expressed intends on rebuffing exclusion by being evermore Boldly Inclusive.

Sources:

Chicago Tribune: 3 dead, 27 wounded in city shootings

Chicago Tribune: Man shot while eating dinner in Archer Heights home

5 NBC Chicago: 7 Dead, 41 Wounded in Mother’s Day Weekend Shooting

The Daily Caller: Chicago Shootings Reach 2,349 This Year — Someone Shot Every 2.8 Hours

The Center for American Progress: Young Guns: How Gun Violence is Devastating the Millennial Generation

Image Credits:

Untrail D. Boyd

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