CHICAGO (CBS) – A 7-year-old girl has died and her 29-year-old father has been hospitalized after a shooting in the Homan Square neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side.
The family talked about their loss to CBS 2’s Steven Graves Sunday night at Stroger Hospital in Cook County.
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The family of little Jaslyn Adams said his father was also shot, but he survived. After the horror, the family tried to fight back their loss.
“It’s really emotional for my family now,” Jaslyn’s aunt, Tawny McMullen, said.
McMullen’s words were tearful and full of pain when he remembered that the 7-year-old was funny and cheerful.
“She was just sweet and outgoing; really talkative; really adorable, ”McMullen said.
The family spoke from Stroger Hospital in Cook County, where the girl died.
A Chicago police officer rushed her there about two miles away, where she was found in a bulletproof car, sitting in a McDonald’s drive-thru at 3200 block of West Roosevelt Road on Kedzie Avenue.
At least 30 bodies surrounded the vehicle after the shooting at 4:18 p.m. The tinted windows on the side were fired.
Bullet holes were also left in the frame and rear window.
Investigators said Jaslyn was beaten several times around her body. The family said their father, Jontae Adams, 29, was also beaten.
Chicago police said the 29-year-old was shot in the upper body. He was also taken to Cook County Stroger Hospital, where he was reported in serious condition, and was expected to survive.
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Jaslyn’s grandmother told CBS 2 that Jontae Adams called her as soon as the shooting happened and told her, “They shot my baby.”
Chicago police are now investigating who the assailants are.
Sunday night it was unclear whether he targeted the attack, but officers have not said the public is at risk.
But for now, a family is devastated that their innocent girl is gone – someone who just loves TikTok videos and laughs.
Jaslyn Adams (provided by the family)
“Everyone, please lay down your arms,” McMullen said. “Our children want to play. My kids can’t even walk out the door because of this violence. Please lay down your arms.
The family said it was a normal outing for Jaslyn and her father to go to McDonalds.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot spoke about the shooting on Twitter Sunday night, saying she was “heartbroken and angry” and called for an end to “the epidemic of gun violence.”
I am heartbroken and angry that a 7-year-old boy was murdered this afternoon on the West Side of Chicago. This unthinkable act of violence has no place here. The epidemic of gun violence that cuts the lives of our children cannot continue.
– Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) April 19, 2021
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By the end of Sunday, police said the shooter or shooters had not been caught.