Monday, June 18, 2018

'Unacceptable and frustrating': Chicago sees most violent weekend of the year

The Chicago Tribune reports:
The weekend began with seven people shot in just an hour on the South Side. It ended with 10 people shot in two attacks on the West Side.

By Monday morning, at least 56 people had been hit by gunfire in Chicago over the weekend. At least nine of them died, according to data kept by the Tribune.

It was the worst weekend for violence in the city this year. But more troubling, it was close to comparable weekends in 2016 and 2017, when gun violence hit levels not seen in Chicago in more than a decade.

"Most of Chicago celebrated and enjoyed this weekend," Chicago police First Deputy Superintendent Anthony Riccio told reporters, referring to Pride Fest on the North Side and various Father’s Day celebrations. "However, we saw an unacceptable and frustrating level of gun violence in several communities.

“There’s too many illegal guns on the street,” he added, echoing a constant theme of his boss, Superintendent Eddie Johnson. “They’re too easy to get.”
Guns get blamed again in Chicago's father-free zones...