Boy Who Appeared In Anti-Violence PSA Shot in Chicago

danjoseph | March 29, 2016
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A 13-year-old Chicago boy is in critical condition after being caught in the crossfire of a shootout.

Zarriel Trotter was shot in the back after he came across a group of youths fighting while walking home from playing basketball last weekend.

While Trotter was not the intended target of the shooting, the incident is yet another reminder of the violence that continues to be an everyday occurrence in Chicago. The same violence that Trotter himself attempted to bring attention to in a PSA that he appeared in in February of last year. 

The PSA features young black males decrying the gang activity that plagues African-American neighborhoods. 

In his PSA interview, Trotter had this advice for those who choose to lead this dangerous lifestyle: "Can you please just stop killing people?" "Handle what you got to handle with your words instead of your fists.”

According to the Center For Disease Control, homicide is the leading cause of death for young black boys and teens. 

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