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Ronnie Chambers, who was his mother Shirley's youngest child, was shot in the head while sitting in a parked car on the city's West Side. A 21-year-old man who was also in the car was wounded, police said.
Shirley Chambers, whose two other sons and daughter were shot in separate attacks more than a decade ago, was left grieving again on Saturday, WLS-TV reported.
"Right now, I'm totally lost because Ronnie was my only surviving son," Chambers said.
Shirley Chambers' first child, Carlos, was shot and killed by a high school classmate in 1995 after an argument. He was 18. Her daughter Latoya, then 15, and her other son Jerome were shot and killed within months of one another in 2000.
"What did I do wrong? I was there for them. We didn't have everything we wanted but we had what we needed," she asked Saturday.
Chambers said despite this latest tragic chapter in her life, she's not bitter or angry.
"They took my only child. I have nobody right now. That's my only baby," she said.
A few hours after Ronnie Chambers was killed, a gunman opened fire on three men near a South Side eatery, killing two of them and wounding the third, police said.
On Saturday afternoon, detectives were called to the scene of another shooting in which a man in his 30s and a teenager were shot to death. There had been no arrests.
Chicago's homicide count eclipsed 500 last year for the first time since 2008. Although grim, Chicago's homicide rate was nearly double that in the early 1990s — averaging around 900 — before violent crime began dropping in cities across America.
Last year's increase, though, stood in sharp contrast to New York City, where homicides fell 21 percent from 2011.
-- Reporting by The Associated Press
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Yup, gun control sure works, all right.
Gun prohibition in Chicago works about as well as alcohol prohibition did in the 20's, more guns than ever and the gun runners getting rich supplying them. The gun violence in the cities can't be solved by taking guns from law abiding citizens across the country. 40-50% youth unemployment is the largest reason for gun violence in Chicago, getting the kids back in school and getting them jobs would go farther with solving the gun violence in the Windy City. The gang bangers have no fear or respect for the police or for gun laws! Someone will always be willing to run guns to Chicago no matter what new laws you pass...
Of course the gun ban conversation takes the eyes off the real problem, the economy! I live in a rural area with very low crime and will not have my 2nd amendment rights taken for the excuse "gang bangers firing each other up". I have owned guns for over 50 years and most my friends and neighbors, we never even think about them they are so commonplace until the liberals get their panties in a wad every 10 years or so. Find them a Daddy, get them in school and get them jobs and watch the gun crime drop in Chicago! to many disenfranchised youth with nothing to do but hang out on the street where they get in trouble. Don't try to punish the rest of the country because they will kill you in Chicago for your shoes or if you have your hat turned the wrong way!
This is a black family, so the NRA not only doesn't care about her children, they positively cheer on the people who killed them. To begin with, they sold the guns to the killers, and then they use the deaths of children such as this to make ads that sell more guns to more killers. This un-American and un-Christian organization has earned a share of the guilt for every child that dies by gunfire every year, and they haven't the grace to even feel shame for their crimes. What sort of insanity do their members share that places the money they make selling guns to killers above the life of children. No church should accept them as members.
You were an idiot before, you remain one now
This is a sad story and may God have mercy on their souls. Also what is sad is that someone would tie this tragedy to the NRA.
occamsedge; I can only presume you are smoking or injecting something to come out with such a stupid, ignorant comment. Same old liberal racist, killing the children crap liberals come out with when facts do not support their position. I am an NRA member and proud of it, have children and proud of it. Own guns and have never so much as thought of using them on another person and would not unless it was a life or death matter. There is a difference between responsible people and nut cases although you would probably have trouble discerning the difference.
It is a shame that you have such little knowledge of the subject you are trying to comment on. Had you any knowledge, you would have known that a large number of members of the NRA are men & women of color. But I guess that would be to difficult to research, for narrow minded people.
If it weren't guns it would be machetes. Don't blame the gun manufacturers or NRA for this. This has to do with black family values and what is taught to the children. Stay in school. Stay off drugs. get a job, get married and stay married. Better you look in the mirror than point fingers at the NRA.
If banning guns in Chicago would work, I would be the first to say...Just do it! New York, L.A. any large metropolitan area, fine just do a local ban but why do they have to take the guns away from the southern rural area's the mid west the western rural area's where there is no gun problem? Sad situation in the Presidents home town but we never created it and taking our guns won't solve it..they have the toughest gunlaws in the country and still unindated with guns..These are pistols also not AR-15 style weapons, pistols that are run into the black community with the drugs...just the tools of the trade!
wow do you hear what you are saying? you may need to talk to someone i.e. a mental health professional. You sound a bit delusional with a hint of paranoia.
occamsedge, The NRA doesn't sell guns. They promote the safe usage and ownership of them for law abbiding citizens.
I'm sure the shooters were NRA members. NOT!
Let's see. The NRA supports the her right to carry a weapon to defend her own family. The NRA opposes the right of the (most likely black) criminal to own a gun. But they still don't care about her children?
Name one good thing that has ever come out of Chicago. It is probably one of the most violent, most gun caused murders in the nation. Also, most of the crooked polititions had their beginngs in Chicago, including our current White House resident.
Lee, Obama actually did bring it up in one of the debates.. When that one guy asked him what he would do about the assault weapons, Obama said the real problem in his state was the handguns... That went against his agenda and I'm sure he was reminded of his big mistake to speak the truth and all. Now if we can only ban hands, fists and feet, we can stop twice as many murders than all the rifles ever have!
Most likely, this was another case of gangs and drugs. Chicago is a thug haven.
Gotta love the political "positioning" on this article. Jeez...increidble. I was attracted to reading it because the link said "gun kills last living child". Really? So, the gun did this? Not the person that SHOT the gun, but the gun itself?! Wow...amazing!! Bush must be to blame, as always ;)
"Gun kills womans 4th child" REALLY? Here's another headline for you MSN morons:
"Spoon makes Rosie O'Donnell fat." mmk?
What if the punishment for using a gun in a crime was to chop off the trigger finger? I suspect that gun violence would decrease.
Might work!!
At least they could not repeat the offense more than ten times.
Better solution would be chopping off reproductive organs.
Makes me wonder if any of these guns came from obama and eric holder to agitate the anti gun lobby?
Everyone knows they used fast and furious in the same way!
Hmm, maybe we should put a giant fence around Chicago and every day we will drop in enough food for half of them. Give it 3 weeks......problem solved.
Why feed any of them?
To televise the carnage of course. Best reality show ever!
Obama's "home town" has such strict "gun control" laws you can not even carry a pocket knife with a blade longer than 4".
So why all the crime, violence and deaths of innocents?
Because outlawing personal safety brings about uncontrolled criminality.
“Quemadmodum gladius neminem occidit, occidentis tel”
“A sword never kills anyone, it is the person holding the sword that kills.”—Seneca (the younger) ... c. 60 BC
"Gun kills Chicago womans 4th child". REALLY?? Here's another headline for you MSNBC morons:
"Spoon makes Rosie O'donell fat." mmk?
1. All the people posting here saying gun control does not work are ignoring the fact that guns are the highest cause of homicides in this country. In case you still don't understand the problem, the large majority of people who are murdered die from a gun shot wound. You can check the statistical records for any big city in the U.S. The argument that guns can't do anything by themselves, it requires people to pick them up and fire them is beyond ridiculous, since people without guns aren't killing anyone. (Yeah, yeah, I know there are some fatal stabbings and beatings, etc., but those are much fewer and far between.) If you look at other countries like England, Japan and Israel where the general population is not armed, you will find out that they have much lower murder rates than the U.S.
2. The point made in the article about how the murder and crime rate has dropped dramatically since the early 90's is a reminder that women's right to control their reproductive health and freedom must be preserved and protected. The issuance of Roe v. Wage in 1973 meant that once the right to terminate a pregnancy became standard for all 50 states, the number of unplanned, unwanted children dropped, and so they weren't around to suffer miserable lives and end up as criminals 18 years later. The right wing nutcases currently waging a war against women's bodies claim to be hardliners on crime, but they are obviously lying about that, or else they would stop trying to create more gang members. As the brilliant comedian Elayne Boosler said in the early 90's, "George Bush is against abortion but in favor of capital punishment. Spoken like a true fisherman - throw 'em back and kill 'em when they're bigger."
The Swiss, who are literally armed to the teeth with fully automatic weapons, have a lower murder rate than the US, Britain, Japan or Israel.
“Quemadmodum gladius neminem occidit, occidentis tel”
“A sword never kills anyone, it is the person holding the sword that kills.”—Seneca (the younger) ... c. 60 BC
But then you'd be smarter than Seneca I guess....
Reproductive rights exist till the moment of conception. Once there is a life inside, the right of the child to live trumps the mothers right to end it. Otherwise you cheapen human life and devolve into the madness we see today.
Only a nut could tie in abortion and George Bush with this ludicrous article. But what more can be expected when your opening statement contains a fatal flaw "guns are the highest cause of homocide..."
My understanding is that people are the highest cause of homocide.
Blunt oblects are the biggest killer in this country. Get your facts straight.
"You can check the statistical records for any big city in the U.S."
And which party dominates in the big cities? Oh, that's right, democrats who implement gun control. Like in Chicago.
"If you look at other countries like England, Japan and Israel where the general population is not armed, you will find out that they have much lower murder rates than the U.S."
Ok, I get Japan and England, but are you serious with Egypt and Israel?
" The right wing nutcases currently waging a war against women's bodies claim to be hardliners on crime, but they are obviously lying about that, or else they would stop trying to create more gang members. As the brilliant comedian Elayne Boosler said in the early 90's, "George Bush is against abortion but in favor of capital punishment. Spoken like a true fisherman - throw 'em back and kill 'em when they're bigger.""
Well let's compare the two. Capital punishment punishes the ones who are actually murdering people. Abortion kills regardless of how the child would grow up. So would you rather have a system that punishes only those who commit murder, or everyone just because a few commit murder?
You're comparing gun control to the abortion debate. Really? People who pop kids out without any regard to raising them is a huge problem in itself. Unfortunately, women who should be a mother only have a child or two (sometimes they can't even have them) while other women who have no business having and raising children have 5 only to have all of them killed by gun violence. This sounds like gang activity. Especially since they are spaced so far apart and the circumstances around many of the shootings. Remember these children do not ask to be born, but keeping families together for the sack of keeping families together is causing more and more violence in this country. My guess is after the first kid died if they investigated they would have seen a poor family that is not being looked after.
These people in Chicago have been putting scum in office for a long time.
This is your harvest.
Well said John!
It's all Chicago's fault. Sure it is. No, it's the fault of dumbasses like johninpa and obummer.
No, the problem is all these irresponsible bitches having babies like Pez dispensers with no ability to raise them alone. Idiots breed idiots. And apparently criminals
I like it, 34 year old CHILD- go f ur self ovgirl-you sound too stupid to comment.
That's not gun violence, that's Chicago. No innocent victims here, I'm sure
Yep it was the gun, had nothing to do with gangs and drugs. Those guns are just out of control.
They aim and fire all by themselves. People aren't even involved.
i'm sure this killers gun is registered too. Wake up America, read your history books.
I'm sorry this lady could have worked harder to get her kids out of the ghetto-sounds like she settled-for public assistance.
Chicago needs to fix this problem so these criminal scumbags will quit moving to Iowa. These criminals are going to ruin our cities just like they are destroying Chicago. Animals!
The 'animals only understood 1 thing in Los Angeles in 1992 and that was the assault weapons that belonged to law abiding folks protecting their property and lives. The LAPD was nowhere around and those of you who want guns gone didn't live thru something like that.
Watch some video of the 1992 riots. Eye opening and sickening at the same time.
Riots hell, did you see any footage from the North Hollywood shootout? None of those guns were legal...Even the cops were outmatched in firepower, but the guntakers want ALL of us without the ability to defend ourselves...
If guns are to blame, then why are the people arrested and not the gun. If somebody wants to kill they will use what ever means available,i.e. cars, knives, clubs, etc.
Oh, yea, right. The murder rate in this country would be just as high if criminals only had bats. Sure. Dumbass.
Oh, yea, right.? Whoa........................Harvard?
I am so sorry for her loss.
"Guns don't kill people, people kill people." That is by far the most ignorant expression I have ever heard. Of course, gun nuts don't care, it's all about themselves. They twist facts and lie all the time. Of course, what should one expect from people whose primary organization quotes only half of the Constitutional amendment that they say they so cherise. Idiots.
“Quemadmodum gladius neminem occidit, occidentis tel”
“A sword never kills anyone, it is the person holding the sword that kills.”—Seneca (the younger) ... c. 60 BC
We twist nothing, on the contrary it's the anti-gun lunatics who don't care, lie, and distort. We can quote the whole thing, and unlike YOU and the rest of the gun grabbers can actually support our side with documentation contemporary to the people that wrote it. YOU and YOUR ilk OTOH, simply make up definitions as you go. Whom, then, is the "idiot," the one with facts or the one with opinion?
“Let a regular army , fully equal to the resources of the country, be formed . . . of twenty-five or thirty thousand men. To these would be opposed a militia amounting to near a half a million citizens with arms in their hands . . .”-James Madison, Federalist Paper No. 46
This is beyond insane. There is nothing anyone has come up with to fix this, gun control or not. We have to try something completely new. Maybe we should pick a city as a test and try something never tried before. Maybe along with reading, writing, and arithmetic, we add a daily elementary school class on how to lead your life in peace without violence. Certainly would not hurt. In today's world, this type of education might be the most important of all.
Gotta love the reference to gun violence. Come-on man. Tell the real story...GANG VIOLENCE....DRUG WARS...BLACK ON BLACK VIOLENCE....whatever. We don't need more gun control..we need PEOPLE CONTROL!
Well Put.
In the heat of a summer night
In the land of the dollar bill
When the town of Chicago died
And they talk about it still
When a man named Al Capone
Tried to make that town his own
And he called his gang to war
With the forces of the law
I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night it really was
Brother what a fight it really was
Glory be
I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night the people saw
Brother what a fight the people saw
Yes indeed
And the sound of the battle rang
Through the streets of the old east side
'Til the last of the hoodlum gang
Had surrendered up or died
There was shouting in the street
And the sound of running feet
And I asked someone who said
Bout a hundred cops are dead
I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night it really was
Brother what a fight it really was
Glory be!
I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night the people saw
Brother what a fight the people saw
Yes indeed
And ther was no sound at all
But the clock upon the wall
Then the door burst open wide
And my daddy stepped inside
And he kissed my mama's face
And he brushed her tears away
The night Chicago died
The night Chicago died
Brother what a night the people saw
Brother what a fight the people saw
Yes indeed
The night Chicago died
The night Chicago died
Brother what a night it really was
Brother what a fight it really was
Glory be
The night Chicago died
The night Chicago died
Brother what a night the people saw
Brother what a fight the people saw
Yes indeed