22 Shot, 2 Dead in 'Unacceptable' Chicago Gun Violence
Shamiya Adams, 11, was shot in the head by stray bullets at a sleepover.
July 19, 2014— -- Two people were killed and 20 others were wounded in a rash of gun violence over the course of 12 hours in Chicago, two weeks after the city was rocked by gunfire over the Independence Day holiday.
One of the victims was 11-year-old Shamiya Adams, who was shot in the head at a sleepover at a friend's home in Chicago's West Garfield Park neighborhood at around 9:35 p.m. Friday.
Police called the string of shootings "unacceptable" and said "there is clearly much more work to be done."
Adams was in a first floor bedroom when gunshots came in through the window, originating from somewhere outside the house, Chicago Police Department spokesman Officer Jose Estrada said.
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Adams was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition where she was later pronounced dead, and police are investigating her death as a homicide.
Estrada told ABC News that 22 people were shot between the hours of 3 p.m. Friday and 3:30 a.m. today. Of the people shot two were killed and twenty injured.
A second homicide occurred early this morning at approximately 3 a.m. in Chicago's Austin neighborhood, where police found a man dead of multiple gunshot wounds, Estrada said.
The deadly 12-hour period comes in the wake of a violent Independence Day weekend, when shootings left nine dead and more than 60 injured in Chicago.
"We will keep building on our strategy, putting more officers on the street in summer months, proactively intervening in gang conflicts, partnering with community leaders," Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said in a statement.