Loved Ones Grieve Death Of Young Mother As Philadelphia Officials Come To Terms With Homicide Rate
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The death of a young Philadelphia mother has loved ones grieving as officials come to terms with the city's heart-wrenching homicide rate.
Chaundrah Jones, 24, died early Wednesday morning after a triple shooting in Strawberry Mansion. She and two other women were shot as they drove in separate cars.
Jones worked as a bartender at the Tab Bar and Hookah Lounge in the Frankford neighborhood. The business shut down Wednesday to allow friends and coworkers to honor her life.
"It's a sad situation, it's sad," one coworker told CBS3 off-camera.
Jones leaves behind two children. Those who knew her say they were her motivation to work at the bar.
"I believe that's what she was doing it for, for her kids. For them to have a better life than most people was," the coworker said.
The two other victims, ages 26 and 32, are in critical condition after the shooting. That same coworker's cousin is now fighting for her life.
"Right now, my cousin, she just got out of surgery. She's in a little coma. I guess they put her to sleep so she don't feel the pain," he said.
Jones' death marks the 407th homicide of the year. It's a statistic that is on the mind of Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney all the time, he says.
"Three nights ago when we hit 400, I didn't sleep the whole evening," he said. "I looked at the ceiling on my back the entire night and tried to figure out: How do we fix this?"
The city is on track to have a record number of homicides this year.
