Chicago Tribune

He testified to the Senate about pervasive gun violence. Then his niece and friend were shot

Ernest Willingham, left, and Eryk Brown in Oak Park, Illinois, on July 1, 2022. Willingham testified in May before the U.S. Senate on the trauma of gun violence. Since his testimony, Brown was shot and wounded outside a vegan restaurant on the South Side.

CHICAGO — Ernest Willingham testified before the U.S. Senate last month about growing up in Chicago with gun violence literally surrounding him. His father, brother and cousin have all been shot and his best friend killed. He’s been to “more funerals than weddings,” he said.

Now, a niece and another close friend have been shot since his June 15 testimony. The shootings have begun to feel like falling dominoes, Willingham said.

“I feel bad that we have

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