Man shot while campaigning for political candidate in Chicago
A man who was canvassing for a local politician was shot in Chicago on Sunday afternoon.
Maxwell Little, 32, was streaming video of himself on Facebook Live as he knocked on doors for Joseph Williams, a candidate for alderman in Chicago’s 15th ward, when he was attacked. Williams, along with his children, was knocking on doors just down the street in the West Englewood neighborhood.
In the Facebook Live video, Little can be seen talking when the sound of gunfire abruptly interrupts him. The video cuts off just as Little was shot in the leg by someone wearing a red mask, according to a police report.
An arrest has not yet been made.
“It should never have happened,” Williams told ABC-affiliate WLS. “He’s an innocent bystander who’s coming out to do something good.”
Activist Jedidiah Brown had just arrived to help Williams campaign when he heard the gunfire.
“I’m just kind of wondering if I would have gotten here a little sooner, if I possibly would have been in the line of fire too,” Brown told WLS.
With a bullet embedded in his leg, Little was able to drive himself to Little Company of Mary Hospital, where he was treated and released.
“This is the same type of mindless gun violence we have seen in other neighborhoods. It must be confronted and addressed directly and without excuses,” the incumbent alderman of Chicago’s 15th Ward, Raymond Lopez, wrote in a statement after the incident.
“Situations like this that happen in the community are one of the main reasons I chose to run for alderman,” Williams said Monday in a press conference.
“Someone has to invest more into our community and help curb the gun violence,” he added, saying that he aims to bring violence prevention programs back into the area.
Williams believes it is possible the shooting was an intimidation tactic from a political opponent, and said it may change how he canvasses in the future.
“I have to second-guess bringing my kids out with me. I always have my family with me. After yesterday, I may not be able to bring my family out any more,” he said.
But Williams said the shooting will not deter him from continuing his campaign.
“We’re going to be out here today; we’re going to be out here tomorrow,” he said.
Williams said that Little is recovering at home with his family.
“Whoever tried to kill me failed. My political views will not change no matter what,” Little posted on Facebook hours after the shooting. “I prayed before I went canvassing and God looked out.”
