A Chicago anti-violence activist who worked to lessen the gun crimes in the city was fatally shot in a spate of gun violence over the weekend.
Community activist William “Willie” Cooper, 58, was among the 56 shooting victims in the city over the weekend, reports ABC 7 Chicago.
Cooper was walking by a liquor store Saturday afternoon when a dark car pulled up next to him. Someone inside the car shot him in the mouth and back with an AR-15, Chicago police said. Cooper died on the scene and police are still searching for a suspect.
“People are so cold-hearted. How could you take somebody’s life? He helped everybody. I just don’t understand,” Cooper’s niece, Patricia Carter, told WLS TV.
Cooper was heavily involved with his community in trying to tamp down on the violence in the city. Lilydale Outreach Workers for a Better Community, Cooper’s non-profit, tries to land jobs for teenagers on the South Side of Chicago.
“He was the person people came to in the neighborhood when they needed help,” Donovan Price, another community activist, said. “He was the person people would reach out to as things have gotten dicier on the streets of Chicago.”
A 10-year-old boy also lost his life to the violence over the weekend. Gustavo was driving with his stepfather and a man when he was shot in the back.
“The chaplains came in and the doctors came in and put the family in a conference room and explained to them that he did not make it, that he succumbed to his injuries,” Andrew Holmes, community activist, said.
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