Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich spoke out following the shooting death of U.S. Rep. Danny Davis' grandson, calling Chicago's violence "worse than Ferguson" on Saturday.
Gingrich took to Twitter to share his thoughts, posting that the death of 14-year-old Javon Wilson serves as a "reminder we need a federal strategy to save lives."
"Chicago so far has 3926 shot, 703 homicides this year with 6 weeks to go. Worse than Ferguson,etc. We must have federal plan to save lives," Gingrich continued.
"Chicagoans are Americans. Their civil rights matter.being killed ends your civil rights. City has failed. State has failed. Need US action," added in a third and final tweet. [[402045355, C]]
Wilson was inside his home in the 5600 block of South Princeton Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago's South Side around 6:45 p.m. Friday when a group of males forced their way inside, according to police.
During a dispute that followed, possibly over gym shoes, police said one of the males pulled out a gun and shot the teen in the head.
He was later identified as Jovan Wilson, a sophmore at Perspectives Charter School and the grandson of Rep. Davis, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office and a spokesperson for the congressman.
Local
"I do know that I grieve for my family," Davis said in a news conference after the shooting. "I grieve for the young man who pulled the trigger, I grieve for his family, his parents, his friends, some of whom will never see him again."
Davis said two of Wilson's brothers, ages 14 and 8, a 16-year-old sister and an uncle were all in the home at the time of the shooting, while his mother had left the house to get some food.
"Here he was in the house, in his home, minding his own business and some intruders would come and snuff his life away," Davis said, adding that better education, supervision and parenting might have prevented the killing.
Police identified a person of interest in the shooting, Chicago police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi tweeted Saturday morning, saying that the shooting was "not random" and confirming it was a dispute over gym shoes.
Guglielmi also responded to Gingrich, countering that the shooting was "not a home invasion but a dispute among teens over gym shoes that ended in senseless shooting." [[402045775, C]]
No one is in custody, and Area South detectives continue to investigate.
