Video: Dwyane Wade Discusses Nykea Aldridge's Fatal Shooting
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Sep 2, 2016 6:28PM
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About a week after 32-year-old Nykea Aldridge was fatally shot while pushing her baby in a stroller, her cousin the Chicago Bulls player Dwyane Wade shared his thoughts on the tragedy.
He criticized Donald Trump's politically-charge Tweet about her death and said he wishes news coverage of Aldridge's death had been more respectful of her role as a mother of four rather than focusing on her connection to the basketball star.
"It's very tough for our family, a mother of four gets murdered, it's tough to deal with," Wade said in an interview with ABC. "I want my family to grieve in private as much as possible but, because my name is attached to this, it becomes a national story. That hurt me to be the name that they talked about instead of talking about how she was a mother of four."
Wade said it was particularly troubling to hear that the men who shot her were recently released from prison, and that elected officials should work to establish more work programs to keep people released from prison to turning to crime when they return home. He also tied today's escalating gun violence problem in Chicago to his life growing up in the city in the '90s.
"I grew up in one of the toughest areas when it comes to murders in Chicago in the 90s. It was the same thing our kids are going through now, afraid of going outside," he said. "I was a kid who wanted to play basketball, who got lucky and was able to have mentors in my life to help me."
An added challenge, he added was teaching his children to do the right thing and respect police officers at a time when many young people of color fear being wrongfully shot by the police.
"They come to you and say, 'But dad, kids are being killed by police officers,'" he said. "My boys are afraid of police just the same way I was when I was growing up."
Wade said Aldridge shooting is one of many signs that Chicago's police department needs to improve its approach tamping down violence in the city. But, he added, he doesn't like the idea of Aldridge's death being used for political gain. The day after her shooting, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump Tweeted that African-Americans would vote for him because of Aldridge's shooting and others like it.
"I was grateful that [the tweet] started a conversation, but on the other hand, it left a bad taste in my mouth because of what my family is dealing with and what my city is dealing with," he said. "iIt looks like it's being used for political gain."