Two adult brothers have been charged with the murder of 32-year-old Nykea Aldridge, Chicago police announced Sunday morning.
Aldridge, a mother of four and the cousin of Bulls star Dwyane Wade, was fatally shot while pushing a stroller on the city's South Side Friday afternoon.
Police identified the brothers as Derren Sorrells, 22, and Darwin Sorrells, 26. It wasn't immediately clear if they had an attorney. [[391536001, C]]
Derren Sorrells, of the 6000 block of South Indiana Ave, is a documented gang member and was on parole for motor vehicle theft and for escaping custody, police said.
My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016
He had a total of six felony arrests in his background and was on his daily break from an electronic monitoring bracelet at the time of Friday's shooting, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said during a news conference Sunday.
Derren Sorrells was charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, both felonies, according to police.
Darwin Sorrells, of the 7500 block of South Wentworth Ave, was a co-conspirator in the crime, police said, and was also on parole for a gun charge. He was sentenced to six years in prison in January 2013 and released early in February 2016, according to police.
The elder Sorrells brother was charged with one felony count of first-degree murder and one felony count of attempted murder, authorities said, as well as one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass to land.
These young kids are screaming for help!!! #EnoughIsEnough
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016
Aldridge was shot and killed after registering her children for school on Friday afternoon, walking in the 6300 block of South Calumet Ave in the Parkway Gardens neighborhood, according to police.
"When Nykea Aldridge registered her child at school on Friday afternoon, she wasn’t aware she’d be the subject of national headlines just hours later. She wasn’t aware that her short life would stand as an example of the clear failure of the criminal justice system here in Chicago," Supt. Johnson said Sunday, addressing the case and the city's violence from police headquarters.
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"She was just another mother who wanted her children to get an education just like any good parent would," he added.
Johnson said the Sorrells brothers approached another man nearby and opened fire, targeting an individual who "was driving females from a suburb to Chicago in a fair exchange program."
Johnson said the driver was cooperative throughout the investigation.
Aldridge was not the intended target, but was struck in the arm and head. She was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
"She loved God, loved her family," family spokesperson Pastor Edward Jones said Friday. "Just like everyone else, just wanted a better life, to live a better life. This is tragic because now it struck home with us. Something has to be done. This has got to stop."
"She wasn't bothering anybody, just going to register her kids in school — and bullets that fly around and have no name decided to find its way to her head," said Aldridge's aunt Pastor Jolinda Wade, Dwyane Wade's mother, outside the hospital on Friday.
Dwyane Wade issued an impassioned plea for help in combating the city's violence following the shooting Saturday, tweeting, "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!"
Aldridge's death also became politicized when Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, tweeted that her shooting is a reason why black people will vote for him, initially misspelling Dwyane Wade's first name. The tweet prompted a harsh backlash on Twitter, and Trump later tweeted his condolences for the family.
"This tragedy isn’t just noteworthy because Miss Aldridge has a famous family member," Johnson said Sunday. "It’s noteworthy because these two offenders are the prime example of the challenge we face here in Chicago with repeat gun offenders that don’t care who they shoot, don’t care whose life they take, and clearly, clearly don’t fear the consequences of their actions."
A special prayer vigil was held in Aldridge's honor at Jolinda Wade's New Creation Church in the city's West Pullman neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.
