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Gun violence in Chicago remains a lingering issue as a mother and her 4-year-old son were amongst 16 people that were shot over a 17-hour time span in the city, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Police say during the shooting, which occurred in the 5200 block of West Kamerling Avenue on Friday evening, gunmen “ambushed” Nikia Betts, 27, her 4-year-old son, and a 19-year-old man that they were with. All three of them were hit in a hail of bullets. Betts was shot in the head and later died at a local area hospital, the outlet writes. The other two victims, who both suffered wounds to the arm, are reportedly in good condition.

According to Ronnie Betts, a family member who witnessed the incident, the suspects sped off in a Chevrolet Impala, writes the source. Betts is outraged over the shooting. “They saw the kid and continued to shoot with her child right there,” he told the Chicago Tribune.

That same night in the Marquette Park neighborhood, a shootout occurred which left two individuals wounded and an 18-year-old man dead, writes the source. The teen, identified as Eugene Winters, was shot in the head and died at Advocate Christ Medical Center. The other victims—a woman, 33, who was grazed in the head and a man, 34, who was wounded in the shoulder—are receiving treatment at the same hospital facility.

Those incidents were two of three fatal shootings that took place on Friday. The Chicago Tribune reports that Richard Harrison, 23, was fatally shot in the 200 block of West 107th Street in Fernwood.

Between Friday and Saturday, there were six other shootings that occurred in the Gresham, South Austin, West Side, Roseland, Forest Park, and Lawndale neighborhoods. Amongst the victims was an 89-year-old man who was grazed in the arm while standing in front of a store on West Cermak Road.

The murder rate in Chicago reached a 20-year-high in 2016 with 762 homicides. In 2017, gun-related deaths in the city are nearing the 400 mark.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune

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Chicago Lyft Driver Accused Of Zip-Tying & Raping Woman At Knifepoint

Mother Killed, 4-Year-Old Son Wounded In Chicago Shooting  was originally published on newsone.com