3 kids die, 5 hurt in rash of shootings

Kadeidrah Marsh spent most of Sunday shopping with her mother and a sister, buying groceries and furniture, her family said.

On a whim, her oldest sister had bought the 15-year-old an entertainment center for her room.But later Sunday night, what had been a good day for the teen turned deadly as Marsh walked from her grandmother's house in the South Austin neighborhood with her two older sisters and a friend. She was fatally shot once in the chest, the victim of an ongoing dispute involving the sisters and another female, police and family members said.

Marsh was one of eight public-school children -- including a 7-year-old -- shot over the weekend, according to Chicago Public schools chief Arne Duncan. Three of those students died, making a total of 17 schoolchildren killed this year, Duncan said. According to a Tribune tally, the deaths are on par with the 18 students killed in the same period last year, when a record 27 students enrolled in Chicago Public Schools died as a result of violence.

"We had a tough, tough weekend," said Duncan, who added the shootings showed a need for gun reform. "We should not be losing these numbers of children. It's heartbreaking."

Marsh's slaying took place at about 9:15 p.m. Sunday night in the 800 block of North Waller Avenue, a few doors away from her grandmother's house. Grand-Central Area detectives said police are looking for a female "person of interest."

About two hours later, a South Shore High School student was found shot to death in the city's Grand Crossing neighborhood, blocks from where he lived with his mother and three siblings.

Paris Bassett, 16, was found on a sidewalk with a bullet wound to his head in the 1300 block of East 72nd Street at about 11 p.m. Sunday, officials said. It was two days before his mother's birthday, family said.

Yolanda Bassett had regained custody of her children from the Department of Child and Family Services about four years ago, the family said. Paris Bassett had spent about eight years in DCFS custody, officials said.

"We were doing real good," said Bassett's sister Priscila, 18. "Paris just went down the wrong road, and he got himself into something he could not get out of," said Priscila Bassett, who said she believes the shooting was gang-related.

Police had no one in custody for Bassett's shooting.

The first fatality of a student during the weekend occurred at about 7:20 p.m. Saturday, police said. Jose Garcia, 18, of the 4500 block of South Hermitage Avenue was shot in the chest while in a parked car in the 4900 block of South Hoyne Avenue.

Among the other weekend shootings: a 7-year-old Banneker Elementary School pupil was shot in the leg while waiting at a hamburger stand with his stepfather; a 14-year-old Hamline Elementary School pupil was shot in a drive-by; and a 16-year-old who attends Richards Career Academy was shot while sitting in a car, according to Chicago Public Schools.

"Just a couple weeks after the Northern Illinois tragedy, we continue to see the tremendous devastation and carnage ... gun violence plagues not just in Chicago but the state and the country," said Duncan.

Marsh's shooting took place on what had been a happy day of shopping with her mother, Kimberly Marsh, and a sister, family said.

Later that evening, Kadeidrah and her sisters, Kamesha Pierce, 17, and Lakeva Morganfield, 25, who live in the 3500 block of West Polk Street, went to their grandmother's home in South Austin. As they were leaving the house, family said they encountered a female who was dating a man that had previously dated one of the sisters.

"We was going to have to cross paths with her, and I guess she figured we was going to jump her," said Pierce.

The female reached into her purse and pulled out a silver revolver, Morganfield, 25, said. The women began to quarrel and Marsh was struck in the chest while trying to push Morganfield out of the way, she said.

"When she fell, I ran to her and kissed her and asked her to talk," said Morganfield. "But she was already gone."

Kimberly Marsh said her daughter wanted to be a graphic designer. She said her daughter had created pamphlets and other memorabilia in honor of a close family friend who had recently died.

"She was so talented and so spirited," Kimberly Marsh aid. "She wanted to get involved in everything."

In a small bedroom, an assortment of cards and collages Marsh had made adorn the walls.

"She was a natural leader, and my sister got her future snatched from her," said Morganfield, who had been taking care of her sister before her death. "I feel sad for everyone else who lost a child. I never knew how it felt until today, and I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

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