At least 31 people were shot and five of those victims were killed in Chicago this weekend as of Sunday afternoon.
The shooting spree in the city continues unabated with 26 wounded so far and five killed, according to a report in the Chicago Sun Times.
This weekend’s shootings bring the city’s toll so far this year to 973 people shot and 168 fatalities.
The latest shooting victims added to Chicago’s statistics include a 21-year-old male who was shot in the head in the Roseland neighborhood on the far South Side of Chicago. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Another victim was a 24-year-old male who was shot in the groin and his condition was stabilized. Police indicated he was a known gang member.
Early Sunday afternoon, a 30-year-old man was shot and killed in the South Side Washington Park neighborhood. That man was sitting in a car when another vehicle pulled up beside his car and someone fired shots. He was shot in the left cheek, hip and other parts of his body. He was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital.
Last week after a violent Easter weekend, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel ran with police recruits to promote a reduction in violence, according to local WGNTV.
“He did it to showcase Chicago’s effort to reduce gun violence by putting more patrol officers on the city’s streets. Emanuel expects to add about 1,000 new officers to the rolls within the next couple of years. He believes a more visible police presence will put a damper on violent crime,” WGNTV reported.
The local news station also reported that the mayor “said the police department has already taken a new step by cracking down on guns and drugs on the city’s many party buses.”
The latest shooting victims were not on party buses but were on streets and walking in parks, while one 51-year-old man was just doing his job delivering food.