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Let’s be careful out there

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A volunteer for a candidate for alderman of the 15th Ward was shot while on Facebook Live as he was out canvassing the West Englewood neighborhood Sunday, officials said.

Maxwell Omowale Justice, 32, a volunteer for the Joseph Williams campaign, is speaking to the camera when shots can be heard in the video.

The shooting took place while Williams was a few houses away with his two children, as a group from the campaign tried to get affidavits from residents following a challenge to Williams’ petitions, said Erin Ellenbolt, Williams’ campaign manager.

“Maxwell had just shown up and he was handing out flyers as well and trying to get signatures,” Ellenbolt said.

* More…

Justice drove himself to Little Company of Mary Hospital, where he was treated and released. Reached Monday morning, Justice said he was resting and wasn’t ready to speak more. In social media posts, he shared an image of his bleeding leg.

Glad he’s OK.

* Justice is also known as Maxwell Little. You may remember that name…

The shooting of a campaign worker in Chicago’s West Englewood neighborhood has led to a heated war of words between the incumbent alderman and one of his challengers in the 15th Ward.

Campaign worker Maxwell Little was handing out literature for candidate Joseph Williams in the 6600 block of South Marshfield Avenue Sunday afternoon, and broadcasting his efforts via facebook live. Suddenly, without warning, a series of gunshots are heard on the video, and after a brief jumble, the broadcast ends. […]

Little made news earlier this year, when he and other staffers sued then-gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker, alleging racial discrimination and intimidation within that campaign.

He is also a staffer for mayoral candidate Lashawn Ford.

* Little initially claimed it was a hit…

Police said a masked gunman had come out of a gangway and fired the shots. No one was in custody.

Little posted a Facebook message from his hospital bed saying, “This was no random shooting. Someone wanted me dead.”

Community activist Jedidiah Brown has just parked his car to help campaign with 15th ward candidate Joseph Williams. There were about a dozen people around including Williams’ two young children.

* A friend of his and the police thought otherwise…

Chantal Grant, a friend of Little’s, said she didn’t believe the shooting was targeting Williams’ campaign or Little, specifically. […]

Chicago police were canvassing the neighborhood, looking at video footage from doorbell cameras and home security systems to establish a timeline surrounding the incident. Police do not believe at this point that Williams was specifically targeted, instead suggesting this was a case of mistaken identity.

* Little’s boss also more than just implied that the incumbent alderman may have been involved. But…

An aldermanic candidate in for Chicago’s 15th Ward is backtracking further from remarks he made Monday, suggesting that incumbent Ald. Raymond Lopez might have been responsible for the weekend shooting of a campaign worker in the city’s Englewood neighborhood. […]

Speaking Monday, Williams said, “I don’t put anything past the incumbent,” when asked who he felt might be responsible. […]

“It is disgusting, it is outrageous,” Lopez said. “And it takes away from the real violence that we are facing in our communities.”

But Williams released a statement overnight, seeking to distance himself from the controversy.

“As it is with so many of us who have experienced gun violence, I am still trying to make sense of Maxwell’s shooting and my children’s exposure to it, so my emotions may have been running high,” he said.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 1:02 pm

Comments

That was horrible. I saw the video last night as I was watching the news. I didn’t need to see that. Very relieved that the victim will recover.

Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 1:28 pm
I’ve had a full share of encounters out there in the precincts. Grateful to say I’ve never been shot at…that I know of.

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 1:30 pm
I hope Justice/Little recovers fully.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 1:35 pm
If I recall, there were a couple of shootings tied directly to the O’Grady/Sheehan Cook sheriff’s race back in 1990, including a running shootout on the road. That was a wild one.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 1:44 pm
Ray Lopez has a history of publishing inflammatory stuff on facebook (needing security detail for his comments). Although there is no real way to verify whether or not Lopez had anything to do with this directly, its the same as Trump’s rhetoric inciting violence. Lopez is no different.

Comment by Westy Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 5:25 pm
==Although there is no real way to verify whether or not Lopez had anything to do with this directly, its the same as Trump’s rhetoric inciting violence. Lopez is no different.==

You are accusing Lopez of saying something that would cause someone to put on a mask and try to kill Justice/Little. So what was the comment that caused this?

And if you can’t direct us to a provoking comment, why even say this?

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Wednesday, Dec 12, 18 @ 7:09 am