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Brothers Who Killed Nykea Aldridge Just Got Out Of Jail, Police Say

By Alex Nitkin | August 28, 2016 9:43am | Updated on August 29, 2016 8:14am
 Derren and Darwin Sorells were charged in the murder of Nykea Aldridge, police said. Both were on parole.
Derren and Darwin Sorells were charged in the murder of Nykea Aldridge, police said. Both were on parole.
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Facebook/Chicago Police Department

CHICAGO — One of the brothers charged in the fatal shooting of Nykea Aldridge had only been out of prison for two weeks when he shot and killed the mother of four and cousin to NBA star Dwyane Wade Friday, police announced Sunday. 

Derren Sorells, 22, and his brother Darwin Sorells, 26 face first degree murder charges in the Friday shooting of Aldridge, who was pushing a stroller when she was hit by a bullet intended for someone else in the 6300 block of South Calumet Avenue, police said Sunday.

Aldridge's "short life [stood] as an example for the clear failure of the criminal justice system," Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said at a Sunday morning press conference. "She was just another mother who wanted her children to get an education just like any good parent would."

Alex Nitkin talks about the records of the men charged with Nykea Aldridge's murder.

Both men are gang members who were on parole at the time of the shooting, according to Anthony Guglielmi, a Chicago Police spokesman. Derren Sorells was sentenced to six years for aggravated robbery and escape in 2012, but was released on parole on August 12. The shooting that killed Aldridge happened during his daily break from electronic monitoring, according to Frank Giancamilli, a police spokesman. 

Darwin Sorells was sentenced to six years in prison for aggravated assault and unlawful use of a weapon in January of 2013 — and let out in February, Giancamilli said.

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At 3:30 p.m. Friday, Aldridge, 32, was walking away from the Dulles School of Excellence, 6311 Calumet Ave., where she was enrolling her child.

At the same time, an unidentified driver was dropping someone off at the nearby Parkway Gardens apartments when the Sorells brothers began to chase and shoot at him, police said.

Contrary to earlier reports, the driver did not work for Uber, police added.

The driver ran away unharmed, but Aldridge was shot in her head and her arm, according to Thomas Sweeney, a Chicago Police spokesman.

She was brought to Stroger Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, Sweeney said.

Police were able to make speedy arrests because the driver was "100 percent cooperative with us," and other witnesses also came forward, according to Area Central Commander Brendan Deenihan.

Johnson suggested that if more witnesses shared information with police the way people did after this shooting, Chicago Police may not have such a notoriously low homicide clearance rate.

"You know why we captured [the Sorells brothers] right away? Because the community helped us with it," Johnson said. "Police officers rarely see crime in person, so we need the community's help, we need their input. We take every death in Chicago seriously, but we need the community's help to bring each one to a successful resolution."

Wade said on Twitter late Friday that Aldridge was his cousin.

As violence in the city reaches historic levels, the police department has been calling on lawmakers in Springfield to crack down on criminals with gun convictions. 

"This tragedy isn't just noteworthy because Ms. Aldridge has a famous family member," Johnson said. "It's noteworthy because these two offenders are a prime example of the challenge we face here in Chicago with repeat gun offenders who...clearly don't fear the consequences of their actions."

Johnson repeated his claim that the same roughly 1,500 people are behind most of the city's shootings, adding that of 22 total police districts, "three of those are driving 80 percent of all the violence."

Wade, who had just appeared in a town hall meeting on Chicago violence, said on Twitter that "enough is enough" and urged Chicagoans to step up to help stop the violence that plagues the city. 

Wade said he grew up surrounded by gang violence, but his family was very involved with the community and kept him focused on sports and school. 

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