Dwyane Wade's cousin, a mother of four, shot dead in Chicago

Nykea Aldridge was not the intended target of Friday’s shooting. (via ABC7Chicago.com)

 

Nykea Aldridge, a mother of four and cousin of NBA superstar Dwyane Wade, was shot dead as an innocent bystander on Friday afternoon in the Chicago area. Investigators indicated that Aldridge was pushing a baby stroller when a gunfight began in the Parkway Gardens neighborhood.

The city’s ABC 7 News has more details of the tragic shooting:

Nykea Aldridge, mother of four and cousin of Chicago Bulls star Dwyane Wade, was shot and killed by crossfire Friday afternoon in Chicago’s Parkway Gardens neighborhood. […]

Police said Aldridge was walking from the Dulles School of Excellence around 3:30 p.m. in the 6300-block of Calumet when two men approached another man in the vicinity and opened fire.

Aldridge, 32, was struck in the head and arm by crossfire. She was taken to Stroger Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Family members, including Wade’s mother, Pastor Jolinda Wade, to speak about Aldridge. Pastor Wade held her sobbing sister close the entire time.

“Just sat up on a panel yesterday, The Undefeated, talking about the violence that’s going on within our city of Chicago, never knowing that the next day we would be the ones that would be actually living and experiencing it,” Pastor Wade said.

Pastor Wade is referring to a panel on gun violence broadcast on ESPN on Thursday. Dwyane Wade also participated in that event but was not in Chicago on Friday. He voiced his heartbreak and anger over the news of Aldridge’s death on social media:

	DWade @DwyaneWade
My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough 6:45 PM - 26 Aug 2016

Wade has been increasingly vocal about social issues in recent months, including during a high-profile appearance at the ESPYs in July. He has also said that he opted to join the Chicago Bulls over other suitors this summer because of the responsibility he feels to his hometown.

This terrible news only makes it more likely that Wade and other prominent NBA players will only continue to speak out on gun violence and other issues affecting American cities. A matter that was already very important to and deeply felt by Wade just got substantially more personal.