Chicago community groups fear looming surge in gun violence as weather warms up
With four children shot, three of them fatally, in the past few weeks in Chicago, community groups and leaders are calling for a renewed focus on gun violence, which they fear will only get worse as summer approaches.
"If we come together and we do something, we can make this stop, and we can do it together," said Pam Bosley, co-founder of the non-profit group Purpose over Pain.
Bosley joined Fr. Michael Pfleger and a coalition of community groups outside St. Sabina Church on Friday, saying the recent violence and number of children and young people shot and killed needs more attention in Chicago, especially heading into warmer months, when data shows crime goes up in Chicago.
"Summer is coming. What are we going to do to stop it?" Pfleger said. "We cannot allow gun violence to become normal in this city."
In less than two weeks, two 13-year-olds have been shot and killed in Chicago – Amari Williams in North Lawndale and Tawon Tribble in Englewood.
In addition, 8-year-old Josiah Hooker was shot and killed, and his 5-year-old brother was injured in Grand Crossing. Police said their father, now charged with child endangerment and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, had left a loaded handgun unattended on a TV tray while he was sleeping.
CBS News Chicago took a closer look at the city's latest crime data, which showed seven children have been shot and killed in Chicago this year as of March 18. That number is at least nine, since two of the shootings community activists brought up on Friday happened after that date.
Last year, 47 kids were killed in Chicago gun violence over the entire year, and 66 were killed in 2023.
Community leaders said the past few weeks aren't acceptable, and they said parents need to start taking accountability.
"I want to see parents take control of their house," Bosley said.
It's why they're offering free gun locks at St. Sabina, and the church's gun buy-back program continues.
"We know you know your child got a gun. Father Mike have gun turn-ins, if you want to just turn it in anonymously," Bosley said.
Police are still investigating the shooting that killed two 13-year-old boys.
