Over the weekend, Chicago saw its most violent days and nights so far this year. A total of 52 people were shot between Friday night and Sunday night. Ten of those victims were killed, according to NBC News.
Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson called the incidents part of a “despicable level of violence,” and promised targeted patrols in neighborhoods on the south and west side where violence has become a regular part of everyday life, thanks to increases in gang activity.
Johnson did note that police likely prevented a bloodier couple of days; over the course of the weekend, officers confiscated approximately 90 firearms, “nearly double the amount of guns that we take in during a particular weekend.” Nearly 20 people were arrested on firearms charges alone.
Chicago had hoped for an immediate downward trend, as Lori Lightfoot took over the mayor’s office from Rahm Emanuel, who often found himself incapable of handling such intense levels of violence, but as Lightfoot herself pointed out last week, handling the gang warfare taking place on the city’s south and west sides will take time and a lot of police and community cooperation. – READ MORE