9-Year-Old Girl Killed and 10 Others Wounded in Chicago Mass Shooting, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Respond 

Shootings Come Ahead of a Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy Day in Springfield on Tuesday, Where Hundreds of Gun Violence Survivors and Advocates Will Demand Action on Gun Safety

CHICAGO – The Illinois chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements after a 9-year-old girl was killed and 10 others were wounded, including three children, in a mass shooting in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of Chicago on Saturday evening. 

“I have no words to express how horrified I am to learn of this shooting. I’m devastated and I am angry that gun violence continues to steal our children’s lives,” said Valerie Burgest, senior fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network and deputy lead with the Illinois chapter of Moms Demand Action. “No child, no adult, no Chicagoan should have to live with the constant threat of gun violence decimating our communities. We must continue to fight for gun violence prevention. This has to stop.”

This horrific mass shooting is tragically not an isolated event. Chicago suffered yet another deadly weekend as at least 43 people were shot and 7 people were killed due to gun violence. Additionally, newly released body cam footage revealed that Chicago police fired at least 96 shots in the March 21st shooting of 26-year-old Dexter Reed. As the city reels from the onslaught of gun violence over the past weekend, these shootings highlight the need to continue investing in gun violence prevention. 

In an average year, 1,622 people die by guns in Illinois. Illinois has the 35th highest rate of gun deaths in the US, with 62% of gun deaths caused by firearm homicide. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Illinois, and an average of 193 children and teens die by guns every year. More information about gun violence in Illinois is available here.