Another Young Girl Gunned Down
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Sep 2, 2008 9:40PM
Damn. Just...damn. That's all we can say when we read these kinds of stories. On the heels of this weekend's shooting of Eternity Gaddy (who died yesterday morning), 10-year-old Nequiel Fowler was shot dead Monday afternoon outside her home in the 8700 block of South Exchange Avenue. She had bent over to tie the shoe of her blind sister, Valerie, 5, when the bullet struck. Nequiel's mother, Linda Williams, described finding her daughter:
At first I thought both of my daughters were hurt because they both were wearing hair beads...Then I ran out and found Nee-Nee laying on the ground.
Police suspect Nequiel, who was to start 4th grade Arnold Mireles Academy today, was an innocent bystander in a gang-related shooting. Arne Duncan, head of the Chicago Public Schools, expressed his outrage at the incident.
It's heartbreaking, it's absolutely crazy. It's crazy that as a society that we allow this to happen to our kids. It makes me absolutely furious that we don't value our children...It’s the hardest thing I do — walk into a room where there is an empty desk. Children today have to live with a level of fear that is staggering...We have far too many children today who talk about if I grow up, not when.Police found a gun and are testing it to see if it's connected to the shooting.