Chicago is reeling from another deadly holiday weekend. According to WGNTV, 52 people were shot and 10 people were killed during the July Fourth weekend.
Police attempted to control the violence by putting more officers on the street. However, the gun violence continued at a high rate as 30 people were shot in a span of eight hours on Saturday night. One of the victims was 7-year-old Amari Brown, who was shot and killed after leaving Humboldt Park on Saturday. Authorities said the gunman aimed for his father.
In a careless choice of words, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy blamed Amari’s father for his death. Amari’s father is a gang member, has been arrested 45 times and has a lengthy criminal record. McCarthy suggested that Amari would be alive if his father was in jail. But regardless of Amari’s father’s criminal record, a father should be able to take his son to view July Fourth fireworks in peace.
Other acts of gun violence included a 26-year-old man who was shot to death near the South Shore neighborhood. A 26-year-old man was shot in the chest and killed near Albany Park while sitting in a van, talking to friends. Two men were sitting on a porch on South Princeton Avenue when a gunman approached and opened fire. One man attempted to get away and jumped off a bridge onto the Dan Ryan Expressway. He was found lying on a median wall on the expressway and taken to the hospital.
Last year, 82 people were shot and 16 people were killed during the July Fourth weekend.
