Amid Violent Holiday Weekend In Which 4-Year-Old Boy Was Shot And Killed, CBS 2 Pulls Up On Yet Another Scene Of A Deadly Shooting
CHICAGO (CBS) -- This Labor Day marks an unofficial end to a violent summer.
At least 65 people were shot in Chicago over the holiday weekend, and six of them had been killed – including a 4-year-old boy.
As CBS 2's Jackie Kostek reported, one of the latest shootings took place on Monday in the South Side's Brainerd neighborhood. Kostek and her crew were on their way to speak to the family of that 4-year-old boy, Mychal Moultry Jr. when they came across another active crime scene where a man was shot dead.
Police arrived at 93rd Street and Eggleston Avenue around 1 p.m. They said a 25-year-old man was shot in Robichaux Park while neighbors barbecued and played flag football.
He was shot in the head and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition. He later died at the hospital.
Water bottles, chairs and a football were left strewn across the park.
Multiple crime scenes were set up across the neighborhood. Much of busy 95th Street was blocked off from Ashland Avenue to Loomis Street, on the order of a mile and a half away from the Robichaux Park crime scene, for reasons not immediately clear.
Police did say there were multiple crime scenes.
Kostek and her crew were on the scene as many neighbors were trying to figure out what was going on. One neighbor said he can no longer sleep at night.
"We can't live normal life anymore," said Frank Eduakwa. "Me and you, we can't live normal life anymore."
Eduakwa came out of his home of 17 years to see what happened just steps away. He found squad cars, crime scene tape, and neighbors discussing a shooting.
"They can't fight," he said. "All they do is gun, gun, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot."
Kostek asked Eduakwa if he knew the family of 4-year-old Mychal Moultry Jr., who was hit by a stray bullet in a Woodlawn home Friday night and died Sunday. His family lived just around the corner.
"A 4-year-old?" Eduakwa said.
For Eduakwa gun violence may be regular, but it is far from normal or acceptable.
He said he feels powerless but wants to see action from leaders.
Meanwhile, Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) said Chicago needs to shift priorities and invest in violence prevention programs.
"We should address this, frankly, the same way that we address the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been no resource that's been too sacred. There's no dollar amount that's too high. There's no technology that's too ambitious," Buckner said. "We need that same approach with the violence in our communities."
Buckner also tweeted, "We are literally watching a generation die."
Kostek did speak to Mychal's mother. The family said they just don't have words right now for what happened, but they are hoping that anyone who may have information on the shooter comes forward and gives information to police.