Argument on CTA Bus Ends in Tragedy
by Lesley R. Chinn
Julian High School studentKiyanna Salters, 17, was shot onSunday while riding a CTAbus eventhough according to reports, Salterswas not the intended target of thecrime.
The shooting was the outcome of averbal altercation that led to Salters'death and occurred as the No. 71 busstopped to let passengers off atabout 10 p.m. Yesterday, policereleased a CTA bus surveillancevideo and photos of a man suspectedin her murder.
Calumet Area police detectives arecurrently looking for a man whostepped off of the bus at the busythree-way intersection of 71st andCottage Grove and South Chicago,who then turned and fired a shot atthe bus killing Salters.
According to reports, while ridingthe bus, witnesses said a man in his20s started talking to Salters and hercousin. A short time later, a youngerman walked by to get off of the busand accidentally brushed the hand ofthe man whom Salters and hercousin were with. That contact ledto an argument between the twomen, during which at least one ofthem brandished a gun. After theyounger man got off the bus, heturned and fired a single shot, killingSalters.
Salters had dreams of becoming adoctor, relatives told reporters.
Blair Holt, 16, another student atJulian was shot and killed on a CTAbus. Holt, an honor student, waskilled and four others injured whenMichael Pace allegedly opened fireaboard the bus in May 2007. Policesaid Holt was trying to protectanother student when he was killed.
Pat Hill, executive director of theAfrican-American Police League,said that the situation at Julian willnot be resolved until social, politicaland economic issues are addressed."The demographics of Julian are nodifferent than the demographics atCrane [High School]. You have thesame situation with drugs, helplessness,and hopelessness," she said.
"You can have 15,000 police officersunder the current structure andcrime will not go down. You can'tput a cop car on every cornerbecause that's just unrealistic."Since 1982, Chicago has had a banon handguns. "That was 26 yearsago. You have more people gettingkilled every year with a ban onhandguns. That says to me that theban is not working," she stated.
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