2 Chicago men charged with first-degree murder in shooting of Dwyane Wade's cousin

Two brothers have been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of the cousin of NBA star Dwyane Wade as she was walking to register her children for school, Chicago police announced Sunday.

Darwin Sorrells Jr., 26, and Derren Sorrells, 22, also were charged with attempted murder in Friday's shooting.

Nykea Aldridge, a 32-year-old mother of four, was pushing her baby in a stroller near the school when two men walked up and fired shots at a third man, hitting Aldridge in the head and arm. Police say she wasn't the intended target, and the baby was not injured.

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Police say the suspects in the shooting have criminal records. Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson plans to release more information at a news conference later Sunday.

Authorities are investigating whether the encounter between the men was a robbery, possibly involving a driver from a ridesharing company, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Saturday.

Chicago has been in the throes of a major uptick in gun violence this year, largely centred in a few South and West Side neighbourhoods, after years of declines. This July alone, there were 65 homicides — the most that month since 2006.

Wade, whose charitable organization, Wade's World Foundation, does community outreach in the Chicago area, signed with the Chicago Bulls in July after 13 years with the Miami Heat. He and his mother, pastor Jolinda Wade, participated Thursday via satellite in a town hall meeting in Chicago on gun violence hosted by ESPN.

Wade has reacted to his cousin's shooting only online, tweeting Friday: 

Wade also tweeted Saturday morning:

It is not the first time Dwyane Wade's family in Chicago has been affected by gun violence. His nephew, Darin Johnson, was shot twice in the leg in 2012 but recovered.