On June 18th, 2024, seven-year-old Jai’mani Amir Rivera was shot dead just outside his front door. According to authorities, the poor boy was a victim of a random act of gun violence as he was not directly involved in the shootout. On that Tuesday afternoon, Rivera left his house, heading next door to his neighbor’s house to visit his friend.
However, when he reached the sidewalk, several shots rang out, with one hitting him in the chest. First responders got to the scene early and applied pressure to his chest, hoping to reduce the bleeding and keep him from dying. Then, they rushed him to the nearest hospital for urgent medical attention. However, Rivera did not make it.
The seven-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the hospital due to his injuries. The mayor of Chicago and the Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling have expressed their outrage after this killing took place and are on the hunt for the boy’s killer. According to reports, the shots were fired from a considerable distance, and they were not sure who the shooter was targeting.
Regardless, they hope to find the killer and bring them to justice as soon as possible. This case has also prompted Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to make a statement condemning the constant gun violence in the city. In 2024 alone, there have been 127 reported cases of children being victims of gun violence in the city, according to the mayor. Of these 127 cases, seventeen passed away.
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Mayor Johnson’s statement continued, saying that the rate of gun violence in Chicago has continued to increase to an “unbearable” level. Not only are adults dying, but over a hundred children who had their lives ahead of them have suffered injuries from gun violence. He called these acts of violence “ungodly,” admitting that it had been a plague to the city for far too long.
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These gun incidents have reached “a breaking point” for the city, and Snelling promised the police department would ensure that justice is served. According to Chicago police data, there have been 961 shooting incidents that have occurred in 2024 alone. During these incidents, 227 people were killed.
Therefore, it is clear that the gun violence in the city is quite high. People are growing increasingly worried and scared to leave their houses out of fear. Parents are scared to walk with their kids, and with the incident that happened just outside Rivera’s door, parents no longer believe their children are safe on the streets.
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However, it is important to note that the Chicago Police has been trying to reduce gun violence in the city for years. In fact, shooting incidents have reduced by 8% this year compared to the number of incidents that had happened by this time in 2023.
But there were still almost a thousand gun-related incidents by the middle of the year, which is still considerably high. So, the police force is doubling its efforts to catch the shooters and reduce gun violence in Chicago.
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