Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump took to Twitter Saturday morning to comment on the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Nykea Aldridge on Chicago's South Side Friday afternoon.
Aldridge, who police said was the unintended victim in a gang shooting, was the cousin of Bulls star and Chicago native Dwyane Wade. Trump tweeted:
His initial tweet, posted around 8:30 a.m., misspelled Wade's first name. The tweet was then deleted and reposted just before 11:30 a.m., correcting the spelling error.
At 12:48 p.m., another tweet was sent from Trump's account saying "My condolences to Dwyane Wade and his family, on the loss of Nykea Aldridge. They are in my thoughts and prayers."
Aldridge was pushing a stroller with a child in the 6300 block of South Calumet Ave in the Parkway Gardens neighborhood when two men approached another man nearby and opened fire, according to police. She was struck by gunfire and taken to Stroger Hospital where she was pronounced dead, authorities said.
Family spokesperson Pastor Edward Jones said Aldridge was a mother of four, and just had a baby. She and her family had recently moved to the neighborhood, Jones said, and she was on her way to register her children for school when she was shot.
"She loved God, loved her family," Jones said. "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."
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
Several people criticized Trump on social media, including television personality Star Jones, who said the GOP candidate was "thinking about himself," as others were thinking about the "senseless murder."
Others called him "the worst person alive right now" and told him to "delete your candidacy."
Actor Don Cheadle tweeted some choice words for the candidate, while actress Holly Robinson Peete wrote "I am just... I am so offended by this I can barely breathe."
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Earlier in the week, Donald Trump was criticized for claiming in an interview on Monday that he knew a "top" Chicago police officer and believed that the city's violence could be stopped within one week using "tough police tactics."
The Chicago Police Department denied Trump's statement, as spokesperson Frank Giancamilli said, "We've discredited this claim months ago. No one in the senior command at CPD has ever met with Donald Trump or a member of his campaign."
Derren Sorrells, 22, and Darwin Sorrells, 26, were arrested and charged with first degree murder in Aldridge's death on Sunday, according to police.
