Nykea Aldridge, 32, cousin of Chicago Bulls' star Dwyane Wade shot dead on the South Side of Chicago while pushing her baby in stroller. She was on her way back after registering her children at nearby high school when the shooting incident happened. Her baby is unharmed.
According to Rev. Edward Jones Sr., the family spokesman, Aldridge was walking with a man in the 6300 block of South Calumet Avenue about 3:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, when two men approached them. One of the men then started firing his weapon, and she was shot in the head and arm, according to Chicago Tribune.
Aldridge, the daughter of Wade's mother's sister, was on the way back home after register her children at Dulles School of Excellence when the incident happen. The school is located next to Parkway Gardens apartment complex where Aldridge lived. Jones also said that Aldridge was a nice and aspiring woman.
"(She was a) Christian woman, a loving mother and somebody who aspired to make a life for herself and her family," Jones said.
Wade responded to his cousin's death via his twitter account as reported by Fox Sports, "My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough."
"This is one particular time our family wished we didn't have to be speaking to the media about anything," Wade's mother pastor Jolinda Wade told reporters. "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."
Following the shooting incident, Deputy Chief of Chicago Police Department James Jones stated in news conference on Friday that Aldridge was an innocent party to this senseless shooting. Police have investigated the incident and interviewing some people in connection with the shooting.
Wade was born and raised in Chicago. He left the city in 2000 when he went to college in Milwaukee, then three years later he was drafted by Miami Heat. He never played in Chicago, and after a successful 13 seasons in Miami, he returned home to play for Chicago Bulls.