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  • NEWS FEATURE

A murdered teen, two million tweets and an experiment to fight gun violence

Researchers are using AI to decode the language of Chicago gangs. Next they’ll look for opportunities to intervene before online aggression turns deadly.
  1. Rod McCullom

    1. Rod McCullom is a science journalist in Chicago, Illinois.

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Girl walking past gang-related graffiti in Chicago

Gang-related graffiti in Chicago, where around 3,500 people were shot last year — 246 were minors. Credit: Jon Lowenstein/NOOR/eyevine

In the middle of the day on 11 April 2014, a hooded gunman ambushed Gakirah Barnes on the streets of Chicago’s South Side. A volley of bullets struck her in the chest, jaw and neck. The 17-year-old died in a hospital bed two hours later.

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Nature 561, 20-22 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-06169-8

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