Chicago’s weekend shootings left eight people dead and at least 43 injured. The Mother’s Day weekend was a very bloody one, which saw the death of Nathan Hicks, 16, who was gunned down while on a sidewalk. An elderly man was shot while inside his home, and three other males partying were murdered during a drive-by shooting.
Chicago’s weekend shootings are making headlines, again. The Mother’s Day weekend was not a good one for many Chigago moms, who either lost a child or learned that they were severely injured because of criminals with guns.
According to Illinois police, it was the most violent weekend since September 2015. Between Friday and Sunday, eight people lost their lives due to gun violence – the youngest being a 16-year-old boy named Nathan Hicks.
On Sunday, at 3:20 PM, the teen was fatally shot several times in the chest as he stood on a sidewalk on the city’s west side. The oldest victim, 58-year-old Andres Rivera, was shot and killed Saturday night as he was having dinner in his home. Rivera was struck by a bullet that flew through the front door.
A 26-year-old man, whose name has not be revealed, was fatally shot on a sidewalk in Austin. A 30-year-old man, who was discovered with gunshot wounds inside a car, was rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center where he died.
Another fatal shooting occurred at a party on the city’s south side when someone drove by and opened fire, killing three men. On Mother’s Day, 20-year-old Deshawn Thompson and Kourtney Young, 21, were gunned down as they sat on a porch.
Among those, who were injured, is a teen who has refused to be a “snitch” and has, therefore, declined to talk to the police. According to local media:
“A 17-year-old boy was shot in the right leg at 12:51 p.m. in the 5000 block of West Erie and taken in serious condition to Mount Sinai Hospital. Police said he wasn’t cooperating with the investigation.”
More on those who were injured:
“Terrell Berkhart, 29, was shot in the abdomen and taken to Christ Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 8:53 p.m., authorities said. He lived in the 9200 block of South Dobson. Another man, 26, was shot in the hand and taken to the same hospital. The third man, 40, was shot in the back and taken to Jackson Park Hospital. Their conditions stabilized, police said.”
Community activist Andrew Holmes said the tragedies are “painful” and added:
“For a mother to wake up and her son is dead on Mother’s Day. You know that is very disturbing. It hurts.
For a mother to carry a child for nine months, and it only takes seconds to take her child’s life, no matter how old that baby is, that mother’s going through a lot.”
According to the police, 1,225 people have been shot in Chicago this year, and data shows that the city is about to have a dismal record – a 500-homicide year.
