Two Chicago Mothers Shot Dead While Working To Stop Gun Violence In Neighborhood

Two mothers who fought against violence in their communities were fatally shot on Friday.

Chantel Grant, 25, and Andrea Stoudemire, 35, were shot and killed on Friday in the same neighborhood where they volunteer to fight gun control and violence. Police don’t believe the two women were the intended targets, CBS News reports. Grant is a mother of four and Stoudemire, a mother of three.

The corner where the two mothers were shot is also the same corner that sparked the creation of the group, which was inspired by the death of a mother who also was fatally shot in that same location. The group was started five years ago and initially began with moms “occupying” the corner. Moms would offer food and counseling for the youth in response to violence in the community. “That’s why we’re out here seven days a week … trying to create a safe place where people can learn to be neighbors and not kill each other,” said the group’s founder, Tamar Manasseh.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the shooting was actually meant for a man, who was associated with a Chicago street gang, who was recently released from prison. The 58-year-old man, who was struck in the arm in the shooting and whose name hasn’t been released, is not cooperating with police, Guglielmi said. “We have no information to suggest they were the intended targets,” he said Tuesday, adding that police are still seeking leads in the case. No arrests have been made.

Manasseh said she doesn’t believe Grant nor Stoudemire were in the wrong place at the wrong time. “They killed mothers on a corner where mothers sit every day,” Manasseh said. “You don’t have mothers killed in a place that is sacred to mothers and not take that as a message.” CBS News reports the two women were found lying on the sidewalk after someone began shooting from the inside of a blue SUV. At the time of the shooting, the mothers were handing out food to other mothers and were monitoring a vacant lot the group turned into a play area. They had just finished up for the day and started walking to a store to get food for themselves and their children when they were shot.

The group has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $5,000 for a reward for any details on the incident. Since Wednesday morning the group has raised $16,000.