Mental health struggles can play a big role in a gun violence survivor’s recovery, but navigating that journey isn’t the same for everyone. Finding the right care can be difficult, and often involves unpacking complex trauma.
A Safer City
A WTTW News reporting initiative diving deep into neighborhood crime, violence and public safety as residents, policymakers and community groups work to address the growing issue.
In the latest in our “A Safer City” series, we explore the many challenges facing survivors of gun violence and what resources are available on their journeys toward healing.
Five years ago, Chicago police Officer Derrick Jones Jr. went from responding to calls on the job to becoming a victim of gun violence himself. Now, for the first time publicly, he’s sharing his story about life as a survivor.
And a new study by the disability nonprofit Access Living finds many of Chicago’s gun violence survivors who suffer from physical injuries and long-term disabilities have needs that are not being met.
Law enforcement officers have arrested the suspect accused of killing Chicago police Officer Luis Huesca.
“Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices” host Joanna Hernandez moderated a conversation about how supporting victims of gun violence and finding a path toward healing plays a role in ending cycles of violence.
The Chicago Police Department over the weekend announced that an arrest warrant had been issued for 22-year-old Xavier L. Tate Jr., who is being sought in connection with Huesca’s death.
According to Chicago Police Department data, 16 people were shot between Friday evening and Sunday night.
All five officers who stopped Dexter Reed near the border of Humboldt Park and Garfield Park remain on paid administrative leave and have not returned to active duty after completing a mandatory 30-day stint after the shooting, as required by department rules, a department spokesperson told WTTW News.
Community organizations are on a mission to empower Chicago’s youth through anti-violence programs in neighborhoods across the city.
In the latest in our “A Safer City” series, we meet teens working to change the narrative around gun violence and hear from local organizations empowering youth.
People can spend hours scrolling through social media. An organization called Project Unloaded is helping teens educate their peers on the risks of owning a gun by empowering youth to become social media influencers for change.
According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the average age for Chicagoans to witness a shooting is 14. Research also shows that exposure to violence can lead to long-lasting mental health issues.
Chicago police Officer Luis M. Huesca, who was fatally shot as he returned to his Gage Park home following his shift early Sunday, was among three people killed by gunfire across Chicago over the weekend.
The five officers who conducted the traffic stop that led to the death of Dexter Reed and the wounding of one officer had been the subject of 36 complaints that they were improperly stopping Chicagoans driving through the city’s West Side, according to records provided to WTTW News by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
According to the Chicago Police Department, 48 people were shot in separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday, marking one of the most violent weekends in the city thus far this year.
