"Someone wanted me dead": Chicago campaign volunteer shot while handing out flyers
CHICAGO — Maxwell Little, a campaign volunteer for Chicago 15th Ward alderman candidate Joseph Williams, was shot in the leg Sunday while handing out flyers and broadcasting about it on Facebook Live. Williams, who was also present at the shooting, said he would be increasing security.
Police said a man in a red mask fired several shots, hitting Little in the leg, CBS Chicago reports. His live stream on Facebook was interrupted, and the gunman is not visible on the video.
Little is a first-time campaign volunteer, and was stumping for Williams when he was wounded.
"My family was out there with me," Williams told CBS Chicago. "We had our campaign workers out there with us. I was actually talking to a resident at the time we heard the shots go off; heard about five or six shots go off, and then Maxwell came running past us."
Little logged onto Facebook again from the hospital and said this was not a random incident.
"This was no random shooting," Little posted. "Someone wanted me dead."
Williams and his team planned to return to the campaign trail as early as Monday afternoon.
"I think it's a nervous situation. I think you have no choice, but to be nervous," Williams said. "I tell you one thing I'll be going for, I'll make sure my kids aren't out with me anymore. ... We won't let this stop us."
The incumbent alderman, Ray Lopez, has his ward office about two blocks away from the shooting. He called the attack "mindless."
"Campaign or not, it is completely unacceptable and unfortunate that someone would feel compelled to shoot at someone simply because they did not recognize him from the community," he said in a statement.
There was no one in custody as of Monday morning, CBS Chicago reports.
