Who was Jaslyn Adams? Chicago girl, 7, fatally shot several times at McDonald's drive-thru: 'They killed a baby'
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: After a shooting in a fast-food parking lot in Homan Square on Sunday, a seven-year-old girl was killed and a 29-year-old man, who has been identified as her father, was injured while sitting inside a vehicle. The incident happened at a McDonald's on 3200 West Roosevelt Road, near the intersection with South Kedzie Avenue, at 4:18 pm. Both victims were inside the car when they "heard gunshots and felt pain," according to Chicago police.
The girl, who has three siblings, was struck "multiple times" to the body, and the dad was struck to the torso, police said. A video taken by an onlooker shows police pulling the victims out of the car. According to Fox News, as the officers pull the girl from the passenger side, a bystander can be heard shouting: "Oh s---! They killed a baby!"
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The child's family said her name was Jaslyn Adams and she was 7, reported ABC7 Chicago on Sunday, April 18. Her injured father was identified as Jontae Adams.
Jaslyn Adams is identified as the girl shot and killed on the West Side Sunday. Her family tells WGN she loved to dance, make Tik Tok videos and eat McDonald's.
— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) April 18, 2021
Story ➡ https://t.co/PrhvnaJLSg pic.twitter.com/VGcPOpHOvb
Who was Jaslyn Adams?
Jaslyn's family said she loved McDonald's, reports ABC7 Chicago. Her sudden and violent death came as a shock. Her family described her as "beautiful" and "really sweet". They told WGN she went to Cameron Elementary School and that she also loved to dance and make TikTok videos.
Jontae Adams, the child's father, is stable at the moment. Jaslyn would meet her father on occasion while living with her mother. According to the family, the two would both go to McDonald's to spend time together. The child, affectionately known as 'Pinky,' also had three siblings.
Two men jumped out of another car in the drive-thru lane, where Adams and the man were waiting in line for their food in a silver Infiniti. According to a McDonald's employee, the two men ambushed the truck and opened fire repeatedly. The seven-year-old, who suffered bullet wounds, was rushed to Stroger Hospital in Chicago, where she was pronounced dead. According to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, her father is also in the hospital in a serious condition.
"If you have any kids, have you ever taken your kids to McDonald's? Have you took your kids to eat," said community activist Andrew Holmes to ABC7 Chicago. "You pumped six and a half bullets in that baby. That don't make you a man. That don't make you a gangster! Something wrong with you."
"Ya'll please put the guns down. Our kids want to play," Adams' aunt Tawny McMullen, said, adding that her eight-year-old doesn't want to go out and play, afraid to get shot, according to WGNTV.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Sunday, April 18, night sent out a tweet, saying, "I am heartbroken and angered that a 7-year-old child was killed this afternoon on Chicago's West Side. This unthinkable act of violence has no place here. The epidemic of gun violence cutting our children's lives short cannot go on."
I am heartbroken and angered that a 7-year-old child was killed this afternoon on Chicago's West Side. This unthinkable act of violence has no place here. The epidemic of gun violence cutting our children's lives short cannot go on.
— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) April 19, 2021
Chicago Sun Times reports that police said the shooting was believed to be gang-related and less than three hours later, two people were shot in their car at a Popeyes in Humboldt Park, which investigators believe is connected to the McDonald’s shooting.
People can leave anonymous tips by calling 1-800-U-TELL-US or by messaging CPD’s text line at 274637.