21 Shot, 6 Dead in Chicago After Latest Spate of Violence Over Weekend

Six people were killed in shootings in Chicago over the weekend, and 15 others were wounded in the latest spate of violence in the city.

On Sunday alone, 13 people were shot and four were killed, reported the Chicago Sun-Times.

The day started out violent when a man was killed early Sunday around 4:50 a.m. after shots rang out at a party on the South Side, in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Lorenzo Magana, 20, was killed when someone fired from a nearby alley and struck him in the head and back, police said.

The fatalities included a 13-year-old boy who was shot in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side. A green SUV drove by and someone inside fired on Ujuan Drape at 4:40 p.m., striking him. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The 21 people shot over the weekend came after shootings across Chicago left two dead and 29 others wounded the weekend before.

Shootings Every Weekend

Shootings have ripped across the city every weekend for years now, typically leaving multiple people dead and dozens of others wounded.

Over Labor Day weekend in early September, six people were killed and 25 injured. The violence occurred despite 1,400 additional police officers on the street during the long holiday weekend.

Officials have said they are working on solutions but noted police officers can only do so much.

“We look at crime every day, every hour, and we readjust, readjust, readjust. But there is only so much the police can do. We cannot be on every street corner of this city, every moment of the day. We just can’t. That’s an impossibility,” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at a press conference in August.

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Johnson blamed Chicago’s gun problem on soft punishment for offenders and an epidemic problem with illegal guns. He said the perpetrators were “a small subset of individuals” who continue to face little punishment for their actions, citing the repeat gun offender laws considered lax by some.

Earlier in August, Johnson said that the shootings are targeted.

“These shootings are not random, they’re fueled by gang conflicts,” he said. “We know who they are and we continue to send a message that it’s OK to commit these crimes by not doing anything as a community. We are all supposed to be on the same side. CPD can be better, but this city can be better.”

Emanuel Not Seeking Re-election

Amid the ongoing violence, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in early September he wouldn’t be seeking re-election.

“Today, the time has come to make another tough choice. As much as I love this job and will always love this city and its residents, I have decided not to seek re-election,” Emanuel told reporters on Sept. 4 at City Hall, with his wife Amy Rule by his side.

“This has been the job of a lifetime, but it is not a job for a lifetime. Today, I want to thank the people of Chicago for the opportunity to serve. It will fill my eyes with tears to leave a job I love, and, already, my heart is full with gratitude,” Emanuel said.

“We have worked together. We have celebrated progress together. We have grieved together. Amy and I made friendships across this city that will last a lifetime,” he said.

From NTD.tv