Gun violence flared again in Chicago when a shooter sprayed bullets outside a convenience store on the city’s west side, killing a 13-year-old boy and wounding six others.
Samuel Walker had just finished a day at summer school Friday and stopped at the store, probably to buy a snack, when he was fatally shot, his aunt Maribell Ruiz, told CNN affiliate WLS.
“He was like a little man in the house,” she said. “He helped his mother. He helped everybody.”
Witnesses said the gunman got out of a car and started shooting.
Chicago police said the wounded included two 14-year-olds, two 15-year-olds and two men, ages 21 and 25. Police said the oldest victim was treated and released at the scene while the others were in stable to serious conditions.
Police have not provided a motive or announced an arrest.
Chicago has been grappling with a spate of deadly gun violence. The shooting occurred a few hours after Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah unveiled “Chicago Stand Up,” a new effort to fight Chicago gun violence.
Last weekend, 47 people were shot in Chicago, including an 11-year-old girl killed by a stray bullet while sitting on a friend’s bedroom floor, Chicago police said. Over Independence Day weekend, nine people were killed and 60 wounded, police said.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has pushed police to try new tactics, but said public safety in Chicago must go beyond police and into investments in after-school and summer job programs, community building and gun law enforcement.
Ruiz questioned whether Emanuel can to fix the problem.
“Rahm Emanuel cannot come up with a solution if he has not lived this life,” said Ruiz. “If you have not been part of the street, you cannot come up with a solution for the street.”
