CHICAGO — Police charged two men with murder for the fatal shooting death of the cousin of Chicago Bulls star Dwyane Wade, officials said Sunday.
Nykea Aldridge, 32, the mother of four, was pushing a baby stroller Friday afternoon in Chicago's South Side when she was shot. Police said she was not the intended target of the shooting. Aldridge’s child was not injured.
Anthony Guglielmi, a Chicago Police Department spokesman, said two brothers, Darwin, 26, and Derren Sorells, 22, were charged in the shooting.
Guglielmi posted on Twitter that Derren Sorells is a documented member of the Gangster Disciples. Sorells is on parole. Darwin Sorells was a co-conspirator in the crime and also on parole for a felony gun charge. He was sentenced to six years in prison in January 2013 but was released early, Guglielmi said.
Police scheduled a news conference Sunday to discuss the arrests.
Overnight, CPD charged the Sorrells brothers for the murder of Nykea Aldridge. Press briefing at 1130 @ CPD HQ pic.twitter.com/mEJyoZY3F4
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) August 28, 2016
Chicago has seen its murder toll skyrocket this year. The nation's third largest city has recorded more homicides than New York and Los Angeles combined so far this year. Homicides were up nearly 50% for the first half of 2016 compared to the same period last year.
Wade, who grow up on the city's South Side, has been outspoken over the years about the violence in his hometown.
The Bulls guard and his mother, pastor Jolina Wade, took part on Thursday on a forum on gun violence hosted by ESPN.
“My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough,” Wade tweeted Friday.
The city of Chicago is hurting. We need more help& more hands on deck. Not for me and my family but for the future of our world. The YOUTH!
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump weighed in Saturday, claiming the killing of Wade's cousin is a reason why African-American voters will back his candidacy.
"Dwayne Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago," Trump tweeted Saturday morning, misspelling the basketball player's first name. "Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!"
Trump, who faced scorn on social media over his tweet, later posted a second message offering condolences to Aldridge's family.
