Two Chicago mothers were shot and killed Friday night at a corner lot near a Gresham neighborhood in Englewood. Chantell Grant and Andrea Stoudemire were standing at their usual spots doing their part to help eliminate gun violence in their community when they were gunned down during a drive-by shooting.
Responding to a Shotspotter notification around 10 pm, officers arrived at the 75th block of South Stewart Avenue only two find two women severely injured from gunshot wounds. Witnesses nearby said that a blue SUV drove up to the corner and opened fire into a crowd before speeding back down Stewart Avenue.
Chantell Grant and Andrea Stoudemire were rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center but pronounced dead shortly after arriving. According to the autopsy, Grant passed away due to multiple wounds, and Stoudemire died because of a fatal shot to her chest.
Anthony Guglielmi, a CPD spokesman said that “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.”
Both Grant and Stoudemire had been members of Mothers Against Senseless Killings (MASK) for the past two years. The group is comprised of moms that organize events in order to create safe environments for kids to play.
Founder of MASK, Tamar Manasseh started the group in 2015 in order to deter gun violence in their surrounding communities. She felt that the group’s presence would be the beginning of “taking back the neighborhood” from those who resort to senseless killings to settle disputes.
Chicago authorities report that over this past weekend, 48 people were shot and 8 fatally wounded. A friend of Andrea Stoudemire’s for over twenty years, Charvonda Andrews says “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.”
Andrews continues, “She was very outgoing. Very spontaneous. Loved to smile. She loved taking care of her kids. That’s the main thing. Her kids were her world. Why are these cowards taking moms away from these kids? I’m so tired of Chicago.”
This recent attack was the second drive-by incident in this community within the past two months. In late June, a 23-year-old woman was shot and wounded when a black vehicle opened fire as she stood at the same corner.
So far, the police don’t have anyone in custody for the deaths of Grant and Stoudemire.
