Shootings in the crime-ridden city of Chicago over the Independence Day weekend outpaced last year’s totals during the holiday, the Chicago-Sun Times reported on Monday.
Between 11 p.m. CDT on the 4th of July and 5 a.m. CDT on Monday, 104 people were shot in Chicago, marking an increase since last year according to the Chicago Sun-Times. This year’s count over the holiday weekend surpassed last year’s total of 73 victims, with Chicago’s homicide rate ranking 9th in the nation at 36 homicides per 100,000 people in 2022, according to the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Among the victims, 19 were killed and 85 were wounded. Last year, 11 people died and 62 people were wounded, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Chicago’s homicide count was the highest among American cities in 2023, despite decreasing since 2020. From 2022 to 2023, homicides decreased from 709 to 617, with the next highest city being Philadelphia, dropping from 516 victims to 408 victims, according to Illinois research non-profit Wirepoints.
The murder rate in Chicago fell by 12% in 2023, according to the University of Chicago Crime Lab. However, Chicago’s homicide rate remains higher than nearly a decade ago according to the University of Chicago data, despite decreasing since records highs set in 2020-2021, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“We are devastated by the recent violence that has left our city in a state of grief and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and communities impacted by these recent events,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a July 5 statement. “The City of Chicago is committed to ensuring the safety of all residents and visitors.” (RELATED: Fourth Of July Shootings Leave Several Dead, Including Police Officer)
The 4th of July regularly has increases in shootings compared to other days, with more fatal shootings occurring on the day in the last decade than any other, according to a 2023 CNN data analysis. The days surrounding the 4th also are reliably violent, with July 1 to July 7 having an increase in mass shootings, Gun Violence Archive Executive Director Mark Bryant told CNN.
“This violence that happened this weekend did not happen in a vacuum,” Johnson said in a Monday press conference. “We are standing here today talking about a violent weekend because of generations of disinvestment, and deep disenfranchisement in the communities where so much of the violence is taking place.”
Police investigate the scene of a drive-by shooting on July 06, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
One 8-year-old boy and two women were killed over the holiday weekend, with two younger boys also being injured in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood in South Chicago. Multiple shooters opened fire on their house at 6 a.m. CDT. Another shooting injured six and killed one on Friday at 1 a.m. CDT, including one 15-year-old boy and two women, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is set to convene in Chicago on August 19, with the possibility of massive protests from pro-Palestinian groups looming, according to Fox News. Many are drawing comparisons to the 1968 DNC riots, where Vietnam War protesters were involved in sometimes violent altercations with law enforcement, Fox News reported.
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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