Activist Worried About Danger Of Guns And Fireworks On July 4th
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An activist who often shows up at crime scenes in Chicago helping police with less-than-cooperative witnesses has a warning about gunshots and fireworks as the Fourth of July approaches.
While Independence Day is not the same as New Year's in terms of people firing guns in celebration, it does happen, but activist Andrew Holmes said he's more worried about criminals using the cover of fireworks to shoot people.
Holmes said people can't always distinguish the sound of gunfire from fireworks.
"You know, you may have a .22, which is a small caliber, and it sounds much like a firecracker, and you would never know until you turn around and you see people running. Then you turn around and you see someone laying down," he said.
A 7-year-old boy was among 10 killed and 55 wounded last Fourth of July weekend. Amari Brown was shot in the chest in the Humboldt Park neighborhood after watching fireworks with his family. The boy was with his dad, standing outside a building in the 1100 block of North Harding shortly before midnight, when gunfire erupted. Police have said his father was the target.