Chicago Gun Violence During Independence Weekend

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Gun Violence swept through Chicago during the ‘Independence Day’ weekend celebrations.

Ten people were killed and at least fifty others were wounded over the weekend in Chicago.
Among the dead was a seven year old boy whose dad was a known gang member, according to police reports. Amari Brown was shot in the chest when a gunman was trying to target his father in Humboldt Park.

The BBC reports:

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Police chief Garry McCarthy said the boy’s father should not have been on the streets, telling reporters: “If [he] is in custody, his son is alive”.

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Despite the multiple shootings since Thursday, the number of incidents was lower than in the same period in 2014.

Last year, 16 people were shot dead and more than 80 others were injured, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The worst period at the weekend came between 21:00 on Saturday and 05:00 on Sunday, when 30 people were shot as residents celebrated Independence Day.

Among the other incidents, a 17-year-old was shot dead as he played basketball and a 19-year-old was injured as rival gangs fought near Navy Pier after the fireworks display there.

The shootings happened despite a 30% increase in the number of police officers on patrol in the city over the weekend, Mr McCarthy said.

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He said police in the city recovered one illegal gun per hour across the city. “We must stem the flow of guns into the city,” he said.

The police force is doing “everything we can to fight this” but the city needs to “repair a broken system”, Mr McCarthy said, adding: “Criminals don’t feel the repercussions of the justice system.”