GIANNO CALDWELL: My brother would have been 22 today. We must defeat the violent crime epidemic

I share my brother Christian's tragic murder story because America must confront its growing violent crime crisis. The Caldwell Institute for Public Safety is one way we hope to help. Opinion GIANNO CALDWELL: My brother would have been 22 today. We must defeat the violent crime epidemic My younger brother, Christian, would have celebrated his birthday on Feb. 18. Instead, he was fatally shot while standing with friends on a Chicago street By Gianno Caldwell Fox News Published February 18, 2026 7:00am EST Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video Fox News analyst Gianno Caldwell discusses new book, marks 3 years since brother's murder Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell discusses his new book, "The Day My Brother was Murdered: My Journey Through America's Violent Crime Crisis." NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! On Wednesday, February 18, my younger brother Christian would have turned 22 years old. It’s hard to believe that in just a few months, it will be four years since he was tragically murdered on the South Side of Chicago. Christian had just graduated from high school. He had his whole life ahead of him. He dreamed of attending UCLA. We even took a college tour together.Instead, on June 24, 2022, my brother was murdered while standing with friends on a city street. A black SUV pulled up. Several unidentified men opened fire. Fifty shell casings were later recovered at the scene. Three people were rushed to the hospital. Only two survived. GIANNO CALDWELL SEEKS JUSTICE FOR BROTHER KILLED IN BLUE CITY 'ENAMORED WITH CRIMINALS' RIGHTS': ALDERMAN Police described it as "wrong place, wrong time." In places like Chicago, the wrong place and wrong time could be a person lying in their bed and a bullet flying through their window.That phrase has haunted me ever since. Because four years later, not much has changed. Nationally, crime has shown signs of decline over the past year, thanks to President Trump. But in places like Chicago and other liberal cities, violent crime is systemic and stubbornly persistent. Last month alone, 123 people were shot in Chicago.CHICAGO KIDS ARE DYING WHILE MAYOR JOHNSON FIGHTS TRUMP, ICE AND REALITY Violent crime is not a partisan talking point. It is an epidemic sweeping our nation. And for my family, justice has still not come. Gianno Caldwell and his younger brother, Christian, in their last photo taken together. (Fox News Digital)I am blessed to have a career that gives me a platform and access — to policymakers, to media, to the national conversation. With that blessing comes responsibility. I refuse to let Christian’s face be forgotten or his story dismissed as an anomaly.CHICAGO BRACES FOR DEADLY JULY 4 WEEKEND AS FOX NEWS ANALYST TAKES ACTION IN BROTHER'S UNSOLVED MURDER I’m deeply grateful to my Fox News family for allowing me to share his story and to remind America that what happened to my brother is happening every single day to families just like mine.This is why I wrote my book, "The Day My Brother Was Murdered: My Journey Through America’s Violent Crime Crisis." While it tells my family’s story, it also honors the lives of eight other innocent individuals who were murdered on the very same day as Christian — across the country, in unrelated, random acts of violence.They were different races. Different backgrounds. Different ages and life circumstances. AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT KILLED MY DAUGHTER — LEFTISTS MARCH FOR RENEE, NOT FOR KATIE Their only commonality was that they were innocent. And they were murdered.This is not a race issue. This is not a targeted issue. This is an American issue affecting every single person in this country. Fox News contributor Gianno Caldwell and the cover of his book "The Day My Brother Was Murdered" (Fox News) That reality is also why I launched the Caldwell Institute for Public Safety in June 2024, two years after my family lost Christian, alongside its sister organization, the Caldwell Foundation for Public Safety. Our mission is simple but urgent: to confront violent crime honestly and to tackle it at its root while ensuring victims and their families are the priority.NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR MURDER VICTIMS REMINDS US OF 'SOFT-ON-CRIME' POLICIES' DEADLY CONSEQUENCES A major driver of this crisis is policy. Across our cities, well-intentioned but deeply flawed policies have shifted the balance of justice — placing more rights in the hands of criminals than of victims. Soft-on-crime policies, weak enforcement and a lack of accountability have emboldened repeat offenders while leaving law-abiding citizens vulnerable.America must confront its violent crime crisis now, before more birthdays go uncelebrated, more futures are stolen and more families are left asking why. On Tuesday, February 24, the Caldwell Institute for Public Safety and the Caldwell Foundation for Public Safety will host their second annual gala at Mar-a-Lago, "Securing America’s Future: The Roadmap to 2026 and Beyond." The event will bring together national leaders, distinguished guests and concerned citizens with one shared purpose: confronting America’s violent crime crisis hea