Police: Chicago teacher killed in gang crossfire
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CHICAGO --
(AP) A Chicago public school teacher was fatally shot at her second job at a real estate office in what police say was an exchange of gunfire between two groups of alleged gang members.
Betty Howard taught at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep, and after work with special needs students she spent time at a realty company in Chatham, a middle-class neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. Family members say she was in the office when she was shot Thursday.
Police said the gunfire appeared to stem from a gang conflict. Family members said a bullet came through a wall and struck her in the head.
Howard, 58, would travel to homes to teach disabled students, doing whatever it took to help some of the city's most challenged youth, Brooks Principal D'Andre Weaver said.
Students on Friday wrote "thank you" letters to Howard. Students from her home room released green and pink balloons, the colors of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the teacher's sorority.
Sophomore Isaac Simmons said he didn't know Howard, but his friends who were in her class could feel the concern she had for them.
"I know a couple of kids that actually went to her for help, and it seemed like she was always trying to help out and do the best for kids," he told WMAQ-TV. "It's so much violence, you really don't know what to do. I mean, I've just got to hope and pray that something like that doesn't happen to me."
Community activist Andrew Holmes says some members of the community are offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Howard's killer.
"I'm talking directly to the people they were shooting at," Holmes said. "You know who was shooting at you. Whether you were shot today, you know who was shooting at you. What you need to do is pick up that phone (and call police)."
Chicago's battle with violent crime has been closely watched. In 2012, the city led the U.S. in homicides with more than 500. It ended 2013 with 415 homicides the lowest total in nearly half a century but still far more than any other U.S city, including much larger Los Angeles and New York
(AP) A Chicago public school teacher was fatally shot at her second job at a real estate office in what police say was an exchange of gunfire between two groups of alleged gang members.
Betty Howard taught at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep, and after work with special needs students she spent time at a realty company in Chatham, a middle-class neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. Family members say she was in the office when she was shot Thursday.
Police said the gunfire appeared to stem from a gang conflict. Family members said a bullet came through a wall and struck her in the head.
Howard, 58, would travel to homes to teach disabled students, doing whatever it took to help some of the city's most challenged youth, Brooks Principal D'Andre Weaver said.
Students on Friday wrote "thank you" letters to Howard. Students from her home room released green and pink balloons, the colors of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the teacher's sorority.
Sophomore Isaac Simmons said he didn't know Howard, but his friends who were in her class could feel the concern she had for them.
"I know a couple of kids that actually went to her for help, and it seemed like she was always trying to help out and do the best for kids," he told WMAQ-TV. "It's so much violence, you really don't know what to do. I mean, I've just got to hope and pray that something like that doesn't happen to me."
Community activist Andrew Holmes says some members of the community are offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Howard's killer.
"I'm talking directly to the people they were shooting at," Holmes said. "You know who was shooting at you. Whether you were shot today, you know who was shooting at you. What you need to do is pick up that phone (and call police)."
Chicago's battle with violent crime has been closely watched. In 2012, the city led the U.S. in homicides with more than 500. It ended 2013 with 415 homicides the lowest total in nearly half a century but still far more than any other U.S city, including much larger Los Angeles and New York
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A 58-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman were also shot and treated on the scene, police said. The man suffered a graze wound to his abdomen, and the woman sustained a graze wound to her hand.
Betty Howard grew up in Englewood and valued education, persevering until she earned her doctorate, her husband said.
“She was always interested in educating children,” said Lynne Long, Howard’s sister-in law. “She wanted to give back in that way.”
“I used to tease her that she was a professional student. …. Dr. Betty Howard — the title meant a lot,” Long said.
As a teacher at Brooks, Howard would travel to homes to teach disabled students — doing whatever it took to help some of the city’s most challenged youth, Brooks Principal D’Andre Weaver said.
Howard, who taught at Brooks for seven years, even rode school buses to help out when school aides were absent, Weaver said.
“She did it willingly, every single day — making home visits, working with kids after school, before school,” Weaver said. “We truly miss her, we love her and we’re really thinking about her family at this time.”
Inside Brooks, grieving students were writing “thank you” letters to Howard.
Shortly after noon, about 25 students from Howard’s home room released green and pink balloons, the colors of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the teacher’s Chicago State sorority with whose members she remained close.
“Betty’s death is an enormous loss of someone who meant so much to others,” Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said in a statement, “especially through her work as a special education teacher serving children with unique needs who required exceptional care.”
The randomness of the crime left her family with unanswerable questions.
“It’s crazy, she wasn’t a thief, she didn’t harm anyone,” Long said, noting Howard’s brother, Orlando Long, is a police officer. “This isn’t how it was supposed to end for her
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Bugs Bunny needs to saw off Chicago.
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SHe worked at my old high school.. she was a nice and sweet old lady. Sad to hear she gone.
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I swear to ? this ? Mikey knows EVERYBODY in Chicago
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@MikeydaGawd what year did u graduate? My girl went to Gwendolyn Brooks too
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If I had the power I will seriously blow up all these gangs & ignorant mfs in this world.
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And I bet the ? they were shooting at didn't even get hit. Its sad you can even mind your business around some of these wild ? smh.
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MikeydaGawd wrote: »SHe worked at my old high school.. she was a nice and sweet old lady. Sad to hear she gone.
this ? lol
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Sad as hell. Look at it like this. Because they killed this woman disabled black children who need assistance will not get it. Because ? like this is prone to taking place.... nobody worth a damn wants to teach in these ? ass neighborhoods. Because of ? like this...ANYONE about ANYTHING will most likely move somewhere else and contribute to the development of another more than likely predominantly white community. It's becoming cliché to say "it's sad", so in the ? what. Someone who was actually making a difference was murdered by someone who doesn't even deserve to breathe. It's time to get rid of these ? and we can start by collectively letting it be known that gang banging is lame as ? . Any rappers or entertainers endorsing this kind of lifestyle are lame as ? . Lil Durk, Lil Reese, Bump J, G Count, Ling Loues, Katie got Bandz are all lame as all hell. The older and wiser I get the more I hate and despise what inner. City Chicago stands for. Even though I know it is all part of a design for us to ? each other I still must place all blame with us. We make too many excuses for these ? , we aren't ever really angry enough about this ? , most of us just don't really care. When you don't care.....you can't be mad if nobody else does either.
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MikeydaGawd wrote: »SHe worked at my old high school.. she was a nice and sweet old lady. Sad to hear she gone.
this nignog knows everybody in the Chi... let me get some bulls tickets next year. -
kind of ironic that the same chalk she used to teach with will now be used to make an outline around her lifeless body
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Beech Oss Neega wrote: »@MikeydaGawd what year did u graduate? My girl went to Gwendolyn Brooks too
2013. whats her name? and the year she graduated -
yall don't believe me or something? lol i got the year book to prove it lol
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Chicago a small city especially cuz social media. you either know everyone yourself or you know them by mutual friends
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I thought Chicago had like 2 - 3 million people?
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I remember when ? was clowning Lupe, callin him lame.
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MikeydaGawd wrote: »Beech Oss Neega wrote: »@MikeydaGawd what year did u graduate? My girl went to Gwendolyn Brooks too
2013. whats her name? and the year she graduated
Oh she way before your time. She graduated in 04. -
It must be hard to be a teacher
