Two men were shot in Chicago on August 11 on one of the city’s newly created “Safe Passage” routes intended to keep school children safe.The “Safe Passage” routes along which the men were attacked had recently been heralded by Mayor Rahm Emanuel as a fix for children who had to travel along new routes to schools.
The two men attacked were Ralph McNeil, age 54 who died at John H. Stroger hospital late in the evening on August 10, along with a 26-year old man who sustained multiple gunshot wounds and is listed in “serious condition,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
Lamont Grant, a 34-year-old who lives on the same block as the “Safe Passage” route, confessed to shooting the two men and was charged with one count of first degree murder, one count of attempted first degree murder, and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm.
The “Safe Passage” routes were created earlier this year to reassure parents concerned about their children’s safety when going to and from schools in different neighborhoods further from their home as a result of the city closing 50 public schools.
In a late April press release about the new “Safe Passage” routes, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, “We will not waver in our commitment for our children to have access to a quality education, regardless of where they live.”
He said, “From every city department to every neighbor and family, we all must play a role in making sure our children are safe and have every opportunity to succeed.”