Nykea Aldridge, 32, was not the intended target of the hail of bullets when she walked down a street in Chicago on Friday, August 26, 2016. But the mother of four lost her life. One of the most dangerous cities in the world, Chicago, at the time of this writing is 30 deaths away from matching its 2015 number of gun violence deaths. The number of shooting victims in 2015 reach 2,939, according to the Chicago Tribune.
While in Chicago’s Parkway Gardens apartment complex, on Calumet Avenue, just south of 63rd Street, she was fatally wounded in an gunfight between two men.
In a unsurprisingly selfish attempt to capture votes of African Americans, Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump tweeted in response to news of the death of Aldridge, cousin of NBA star Dwyane Wade: “Dwyane Wade’s cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!” Following media backlash, Trump finally offered condolences to the family.
Wade has not responded to the Tweet. He updated his social media page writing: “RIP Nykea Aldridge … #EnoughIsEnough”. He added: “The city of Chicago is hurting. We need more help & more hands on deck. Not for me and my family but for the future of our world. The YOUTH! These young kids are screaming for help!!!”
This move irked actor Don Cheadle, who unleashed on the businessman and politician via Twitter.
“People of Drumpf’s ilk are contributors to the conditions that lead to the ‘Chicagos’ of this country,” Cheadle writes. Adding in another message: “Chicago Police: Officer Never Told Trump That ‘Tougher’ Policing Could Stop Crime.”
Aldridge was shot in the head and the arm. She was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital. According to Rev. Edward Jones Sr., a spokesman for the family, she had just registered her children for school at Dulles School of Excellence near her new home of four months. She was pushing her baby in a stroller which was unharmed.
