Two Chicago Girls Caught In Crossfire In Shooting
Violence continues to grip the city of Chicago. Tanja Stokes, 8, was killed and her cousin Ariana Jones, 7, wounded in a shooting on the city’s South Side, yesterday.
The two were jumping rope outside when witnesses say at least two gunmen rode by on bikes and riddled the house that the two girls were playing in front of with bullets. Both little girls were shot in the head and Jones remains in critical condition.
Though family members say they don’t know why the house was targeted, they say the shooters were well aware that there were children playing outside.
“They deliberately aimed. They shot the whole house up,” says the victim’s cousin Charles Ware.
Deputy Supt. Ernest Brown of the Bureau of Patrol spoke on the incident and the need for cooperation among members of the community.
“What I think this underscores is our absolute need to be committed in partnership with the community, citizens and everyone in Chicago. Essentially, what we need to do is turn this anger into mobilized activity where we start to say something. If you see something, say something. Silence does kill. And in this particular case we need all the help we can get to get these individuals with guns off the street.”
The need to find a solution to the cities violence is long past overdue. This year’s violent crime waive in Chicago even prompted two Illinois lawmakers, State Representatives John Fritchey (D) and LaShawn Ford (D) to urge Governor Pat Quinn to deploy troops in April. No one has been apprehended in the Tanja Stokes case.
