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Woman Shot In South Chicago An Innocent Victim Of Gang Feud, Neighbors Say

By Evan F. Moore | July 27, 2016 5:48pm
 Africa Bass, 23, had recently moved into a building in the 8700 block of South Burley Avenue.
Africa Bass, 23, had recently moved into a building in the 8700 block of South Burley Avenue.
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DNAinfo/Evan F. Moore

SOUTH CHICAGO — The neighbors who lived on a South Chicago block where young mother was shot and killed shortly after moving to the area Tuesday believe her death was the result of an ongoing gang conflict. 

Several neighbors told DNAinfo that Africa Bass, 23, wasn't the intended target of the shooting. The neighbors say that The GME Boys, a local record label, and the Black Latin Kings have been involved in an ongoing gang war. 

At 12:05 a.m., Bass was walking in the 8700 block of South Burley Avenue when someone shot her from a passing black SUV, according to a police incident report.

“She hadn’t even been there two hours,” Sheila Jones, Bass's mother, told the Tribune. “Who would do this to my baby?”

Neighbors say that the shooting stems from a June 10 incident that took place not far from where Reed was killed. 

At 9:30 p.m. that evening, Jeremy H. Ray, 27, of the 42nd block of West 112th Place, was killed in the 8900 block of South Brandon Avenue when two men got out of a car and shot at him, said Officer Bari Lemmon, a Chicago Police spokeswoman.

A neighbor, who did not want to give his name for fear of retaliation, told DNAinfo that the block is normally quiet except for when rival gangs clash. 

"Ever since that shooting, they've been blaming each other. They've made YouTube videos saying who they want," the neighbor said. "All of this needs to stop. Innocent people have been killed."

The shooting wasn't gang related, police said. 

The shooting took place one block north of the home of Sakinah Reed. Sakinah, 17, and Donta Parker, 16, were killed back in January after they and another teen were shot while standing on the corner in the 7600 block of South Dorchester Avenue in South Shore.

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