Furious Chicagoans are demanding action after a five-month-old baby became the latest homicide victim during a crime filled weekend in the Windy City.
Cecilia Thomas, an infant, was traveling in a car with her father when she was shot in the head in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood Friday night.
Police say Thomas was killed after an unidentified woman opened fire on the family’s car in an apparent drive-by shooting. The baby was taken to a nearby hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
A 41-year-old man, traveling in a separate car, was also struck in the incident and suffered a gunshot wound to the eye. He was said to be in stable condition.
The shooter fled the scene and police have no suspects in custody at this time. Community activist Ja’Mal Green, who is running for mayor, is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the conviction of Thomas’ killer.
Meanwhile, outraged residents are calling on lawmakers to take action after at least 20 people were shot in the crime-ridden city over the weekend.
CBS News named Chicago, which has a murder rate 18.26 per 100,000 citizens, the 28th deadliest city in America earlier this year.
Five-month-old Cecilia Thomas was traveling in a car with her father when she was shot in the head in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood Friday night
Thomas was killed after an unidentified woman opened fire on the family’s car in an apparent drive-by shooting
Thomas was taken to nearby Comer Children’s Hospital, where she later died from her injuries. The medical examiner’s office said she died from a gunshot wound to the head
Thomas’ father was driving home around 6.45pm Friday when shots rang out in the 7700 block of South Shore Drive.
The concerned dad pulled over near the intersection of 71st Street and Candon Avenue after Thomas began crying, a witness told ABC 7.
He summoned for help and Thomas was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she later passed away. The medical examiner’s office said she died from a gunshot wound to the head.
At least a dozen of the infant’s family members gathered outside the hospital while doctors attempted to save her life.
‘I hope y’all catch whoever did this,’ a woman screamed at the scene. ‘Took that d**n baby’s life.’
Crisis responder Andrew Holmes, who spoke to the baby’s mother, said she was heartbroken and ‘distraught.’
‘That’s a five-month-old baby,’ he said. ‘Nine months she carried that baby, nourished that baby. And it take a d**n fool to discharge that weapon and take baby’s life.’
He then addressed the shooter: ‘I hope you don’t have no children yourself. Because if you do, you shouldn’t sleep at night, you should just turn yourself here knowing you got to look at your child every night. And you done take this lady’s child.’
‘The baby rested right now, but ain’t gonna be no peace with that family the rest of their life.’
Jackie, a nurse working at the hospital when EMS brought Thomas in, described the scene as shocking.
‘I’ve never in my 61 years of life seen anything like this,’ she told the TV station. ‘You never know what it’s like to have a broken heart until you go through it.’
The nurse also lost two of her own children to gunfire and said a third was left paralyzed after being shot at a party.
A 41-year-old man, traveling in a separate car, was also struck in the incident and suffered a gunshot wound to the eye. He was said to be in stable condition. Police are pictured at the scene of the shooting
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A shell casing is pictured at the scene of the shooting that killed Cecilia Thomas
The shooter fled the scene and police have no suspects in custody at this time. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest
Angry residents are demanding Chicago leadership take broad strokes to tackle the city’s soaring violent crime.
‘We’re not going to stand for this in this city,’ Holmes told FOX 32 after Thomas’ death. ‘We need this city to do what we got to do to put eyes on this young lady, on this driver until both of them have been arrested because this is disgusting, this is a disgrace, this is as low as you can get.’
Mayoral hopeful Green launched a campaign to find the shooter.
‘A 5-month-old girl was just shot in the head in Chicago. My heart breaks for this young girl & her family,’ he said in a statement. ‘I am offering a $5,000 reward NOW to someone who comes forward to give answers that can lead to an arrest & conviction! $2,500 when they are arrested, $2,500 when convicted.’
‘It’s time to get to the root of this violence so we can create a better city for our Children.’
Residents have taken to social media, condemning the situation and criticizing the Democrats in power for failing to abide by their campaign promises.
‘A 5-month-old baby gets fatally shot in the head in Chicago while sitting in a car. So much for gun control vs tough on criminals,’ one resident tweeted. ‘Chicago Democrats please step up and defend this.’
‘When do the protests over the murder of this child begin in Chicago?’ another questioned.
‘Chicago’s gun laws are among the most restrictive in the United States…..and yet….the media, the Mayor, and Dems are silent on these shootings,’ slammed another user.
Deputy Fox News Editor Will Ricciardella chimed in, saying: ‘This is absolutely maddening in itself. What’s worse is the reluctance to address this type of inhumanity and senseless death that continues to occur on a weekly basis on society’s most vulnerable and innocent.’
‘So how much longer are the Democrats going to allow this to happen??? The city of Chicago will close is this what they want??’ asked another.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who had vowed to tackle the city’s crime rates, has yet to publicly comment on Thomas’ death.
Violent crimes are still up across the board in Chicago
Meantime, violent crimes are still up across the board in Chicago, especially since before the start of the pandemic – less than a year after Lightfoot was sworn into office in May 2019.
According to the latest statistics from the Chicago Police Department, Murders are up a whopping 23 percent since 2019 – before the pandemic inspired an influx of crime to plague the city’s streets – with 282 killings recorded since the start of the year, compared to the 230 seen in 2019.
Murders are also up since June 2020, following the peak of the pandemic lockdown, which saw a still concerning 291 murders.
Violent assaults are also up, with 2,553 cases of aggravated battery having been reported already this year. During June 2021, the city had recorded 2,516 cases.
Sexual assaults and rapes are down this year, with the city recording nine fewer incidents this year than this time in 2021.
Small crimes such as theft have also surged since last year, by a whopping 65 percent, from 4,712 incidents to 7,770.
Gun violence, meanwhile – arguably the city’s most pressing and prevailing issue – trickled down slightly, from 1,381 shootings last year to 1,148 so far in 2022.
However, when compared to shootings seen in 2019, before the city’s unprecedented crime wave, the rate of gun violence has increased astronomically, by a concerning 44 percent.
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