The first cousin of Chicago Bulls star Dwyane Wade was shot and killed in Chicago Friday afternoon, the Wade family has confirmed.
"My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough," the NBA star tweeted Friday evening.
Nykea Aldridge, 32, was pushing a baby in a stroller in the Parkway Gardens neighborhood after leaving the Dulles School of Excellence at around 3:30 p.m. when two men opened fire at another man, according to ABC-owned station WLS.
Aldridge was caught in the crossfire and hit in the head and arm, WLS reported. She was taken to Chicago's John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County where she was pronounced dead.
She was not the intended target, police said, WLS reported.
Police are questioning two men in connection with her death, WLS reported.
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Pastor Jolinda Wade, Dwyane Wade's mother, called the shooting “senseless” while speaking to reporters Friday night at the hospital. “We are now in a very, very sensitive grieving place," said Pastor Wade, who held her sobbing sister Diana.
The baby was not hurt. A relative took custody of the child, according to WLS.
In a statement Friday night, the Chicago Bulls said, "The entire Chicago Bulls organization is deeply saddened by the news of Dwyane Wade’s cousin, Nykea Aldridge. We send our deepest condolences to the entire Wade family during this difficult time.”
Despite the tragedy, Pastor Wade spoke of hope for those who commit such crimes.
"We're still going to try and help these people to transform their minds and give them a different direction, so this thing won't keep happening," she said. "We're still going to help empower people like the one who senselessly shot my niece in the head."
It is not the first time Dwyane Wade's family in Chicago has been touched by gun violence. His nephew, Darin Johnson, was shot twice in the leg in 2012 but recovered, according to The Associated Press.
Just a day before the shooting, Dwyane Wade spoke via satellite at an ESPN-hosted townhall on gun violence in Chicago.
"It's deep-rooted," he said of the violence. "This is something that didn't start today, this is something that isn't going to end tomorrow, this is something...hopefully, eventually we can stop it.”
