Son Of Charleston Shooting Victim Gets Drafted By Chicago Cubs
Chris Singleton was drafted by the Chicago Cubs nearly two years to the day his mother, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, was killed during the Charleston church massacre.
Singleton, who is 20 years old, plays center field on the Charleston Southern University baseball team. The Cubs selected Singleton during the 19th round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft on Wednesday, according to the New York Daily News.
The day after his mother and eight others were killed by Dylann Roof at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina, Singleton delivered inspiring words of wisdom on his university’s baseball field.
“If we just love the way my mom would, the hate won’t be anywhere close to what love is,” he said in the below video from June 2015.
Singleton was one of 41 picks the Cubs made.
Cubs Vice President Jason McLeod said the choice to draft Singleton was solely based on his athletic capabilities, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“First and foremost, he’s a talented player on the field,” McLeod told journalists Wednesday. “We had him evaluated really as almost like a top-10-round-caliber talent. He’s very athletic, a plus runner, plus defender, base-stealer.”
“We certainly understand the backstory there,” he continued. “But what I want to make sure doesn’t get lost is that this guy’s a really good baseball player. He’s talented. He’s athletic. There’s upside there.”
Singleton, who also lost his father in February, has two younger siblings to look after.
Promise I'll never stop going hard😤#CantLetMomsDown #FlyHighPops pic.twitter.com/HwQ5nBMT7N
— Chris Singleton (@csingleton__2) March 29, 2017
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Ethel Lance
"I'm lost, I'm lost," Lance's grandson, Jon Quil Lance, told the media outlet. He described her as “the heart of the family."
Clementa Pinckney
Pinckney was the church's pastor and a state senator representing the 45th District.
A married father of two, Pinckney was elected to the state House at age 23, making him the youngest House member at the time.
Sharonda Coleman-Singleton
"The CSU family is praying for ... his family during this painful time," said President Jairy C. Hunter Jr.
Coleman-Singleton, 45, was a high school track coach and a pastor at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, according to the church website.
Susie Jackson
Tywanza Sanders
“He was a quiet, well-known student who was committed to his education,” Cole said. “He presented a warm and helpful spirit as he interacted with his colleagues. Mr. Sanders was participating in the Bible Study session at Mother Emanuel church at the time of the shooting.”
Cynthia Hurd
"We have staff members who have worked with her before on various projects. She had 31 years of service at the library in Charleston," he said.
The library also released a statement that called Hurd "a tireless servant of the community who spent her life helping residents, making sure they had every opportunity for an education and personal growth."
Depayne Middleton
Wooten said Middleton-Doctor retired from Charleston County in 2005, where she was director of the Community Development Block Grant Program.
Daniel Simmons
Myra Thompson
"Please pray for all undergoing pain and suffering in this unspeakable crime," said Carl Lund, rector at the church.
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