Two mothers who advocated against gun violence, slain in drive-by shooting

Two Chicago mothers were shot and killed in a drive by shooting while standing against gun violence on Friday night on the city’s South Side.

Chantell Grant, 26, and Andrea Stoudemire, 35, were killed at the corner lot they have stood at for the past two years for Mothers Against Senseless Killings (MASK), an organization that keeps kids safe in the community, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

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Grant, a mother of four, and Stoudemire, a mother of three, were shot before 10 p.m. on Friday at the MASK set up location.  Shots were fired into a crowd from a blue SUV, killing both women and grazing another man’s arm. 

Police revealed as of Monday evening, there is no known suspect for the shooting or person in custody.

“This is still very much under investigation, but at this time, we have no evidence that we can point to that suggests the women were the intended targets. We also have no evidence to the contrary,” Anthony Guglielmi, Chicago Police Department spokesman wrote in an email to the Sun-Times. 

“It is terrifying. It is heartbreaking. I haven’t slept because I am trying to figure out how we can stop this,” Tamar Manasseh, founder of MASK said. “Who’s next? I just keep thinking, ‘Who’s next?’ ”

People were mourning the loss of the two women on Monday by leaving candles, flowers and other heartfelt items at their memorial.

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“I’m trying to hold up. I’m taking it literally one day at a time,” Charvonda Andrews longtime friend of Stoudemire said. “Honestly, every 30 minutes I’m crying. But I’m trying to just hold it together right now. That’s been my best friend since fifth grade.”

The third victim of the shooting, also stopped by the memorial on Monday to “pay his respects.”

The man, who declined to give his name, told the newspaper that he frequently walks around the neighborhood to help people who have been affected by gun violence. He revealed held one of woman’s hand as she died that night.

”It’s too much around here. The older people can’t come out and sit on the porch; the kids can’t play,” he said. “It’s just, wow. Everyone is scared.”

A GoFundMe campaign for $5,000 has been started by MASK to receive information “that will bring these mother killers to justice.” As of Tuesday, the organization has raised $9,295 so far.

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