The latest victim of Chicago's surge in gang violence is just seven years old. Heaven Sutton died after being shot in the back at a candy stand her mom set up two weeks ago to help keep neighborhood kids close to home and away from gang crossfire, reports the Chicago Tribune. "She looked forward every day to opening up the candy store, and for somebody just to come take her life, it's not right," says her mother. Heaven, she says, had just had her hair done ahead of a family trip to Disney World to reward her for good grades.
Heaven's mother believes the shooter was targeting somebody in the crowd near the stand. She had hoped gangs would stay away from a place meant for kids, but they "really didn’t even care," she says. "They killed my baby." Homicides in Chicago are up 38% this year and Heaven is the 253rd victim. Asked about the shooting, an angry Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, "This is not about crime. This is about values. Take your gang conflict away from a seven-year-old. Who raised you?" ABC reports. "Stay away from the kids!" he said. (More Chicago stories.)
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