Most Chicagoans will see a shooting before the age of 40, research says

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – More than half of Chicago residents will have witnessed a shooting by the time they reach age 40, a new study finds.

Talking with 2,400 Chicagoans over a span of 25 years, researchers found more than half the Black and Latino participants had seen a shooting, compared to one in four whites. The results were published this week in the Journal of American Medical Association.

The average age for those who witnessed a shooting was 14.

The author -- a criminologist at the University of Cambridge -- called the findings startling and disturbing and said exposure to gun violence was even higher than expected. A substantial number of Chicagoans could be living with trauma as a result, the study said.

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