At least 58 people have been shot in Chicago this weekend, 11 of whom have died.
The shootings have occurred throughout the city since 6 p.m. Wednesday, during the prolonged July 4th holiday weekend. Many people are dealing with the long-term consequences of gun violence in their communities this Friday evening.
The violence included three mass shootings, one of which killed two mothers and an 8-year-old kid and left two young boys critically injured after multiple shooters opened fire on a Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood home on the South Side.
At least 19 people were shot in mass shootings in Austin, Greater Grand Crossing, and Little Italy.
Around 12:15 a.m. Friday, officers responded to reports of shots fired and discovered eight persons injured by gunfire in the 1300 block of West Hastings Street, according to Chicago police, who said the two gunmen escaped.
Two women, 74 and 31, were shot in the leg and brought to Stroger Hospital, where they were listed in fair condition, police said.
Two guys, aged 28 and 23, were shot in the leg and brought to Stroger in fair condition.
Another guy, 36, was wounded in the groin and transported to Stroger Hospital in fair condition, according to investigators.
An 18-year-old lady was grazed in the head and sent to Stroger Hospital, where she was in good condition, according to officials. Two women, ages 18 and 19, were also grazed and refused medical assistance, according to authorities.
Erica Pinkerton said she grew up with the 74-year-old woman who was shot and injured, and she is tired of the violence.
“They don’t annoy anybody. “They are the sweetest ladies you will ever meet,” Pinkerton stated. “We don’t know how to enjoy each other, because we’re so bitter and cold inside, towards one another and ourselves.”
Last year, 18 people were shot and two died on July 4th. Pinkerton summarized the day in two words.
“It’s assassination day…” she said.
Vaughn Bryant is the executive director of Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, a coalition of 15 community-based organizations committed to eliminating gun violence. He stated that his staff helped to close 31st Street Beach for safety reasons throughout the vacation.
“When you grow up in an environment where there’s trauma, you don’t adaptively resolve your conflicts, and you use means that can be extreme, for what ultimately, our petty conflicts that don’t require people to lose their life,” claimed Bryant. “It is our city, and as citizens, we are responsible for everything that happens there… You can’t complain about not having businesses or things going on if we’re not keeping it secure in locations where businesses can grow.”
Some people believe that not enough is being done to curb the violence.
“They have to stop the guns. “You know?” Austin resident Raul Perez stated. “You cannot go out at night. You know, you’re frightened to walk out at night because you might get shot or whatever.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stated in response to the violence, saying, “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and communities impacted.”
Johnson said an emergency services assistance center will be open on Tuesday, July 9, from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Fosco Park on Racine Avenue to assist community members.
Less than two hours after the Little Italy incident, about 1:45 a.m., officers responding to reports of a person shot in the 100 block of South Menard Avenue discovered six individuals injured after two gunman traded gunfire and fled the scene, according to police.
A 15-year-old child was shot in the back and transported to Stroger Hospital in good condition, according to officials.
An 18-year-old lady was shot three times in the leg and sent to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, while another woman, 20, was wounded in the back and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.
A 23-year-old man was rushed to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park with a gunshot wound to the leg, according to officials. He was in good health, while another 23-year-old male was wounded in the hip and sent to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood in good condition.
A 25-year-old male was shot in the arm and sent to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in fair condition.
A 16-year-old girl was shot and badly injured early Friday in a North Lawndale neighborhood complex on the city’s West Side. According to authorities, she was shot in the head around 1:40 a.m. on the 1200 block of South Central Park Avenue.
A man and woman were shot early Friday morning, about 7:05 a.m., in the 3400 block of East 87th Street, according to police. They were found deceased at the spot.
Police say two ladies, aged 59 and 29, were shot around 11:50 p.m. Thursday in the 900 block of North Leclaire Avenue. The elderly woman was shot in the hip and head and brought to Stroger Hospital, where she died, authorities said. The younger woman was shot in the torso and sent to Storger, where she was classified in fair condition, officials added.
Around the same time, a 35-year-old male was arguing with a gunman in the 6000 block of South Winchester Avenue when the latter shot him multiple times, according to authorities. According to authorities, the 35-year-old was brought to Saint Bernard Hospital and later pronounced dead.
Less than an hour earlier, a 30-year-old male was shot in the torso while standing in the street with a crowd in the 8400 block of South Kerfoot Avenue, according to police. He was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Hours later, about 2:10 a.m. Friday, officers responding to reports of a person shot in the 1200 block of West Washburne Avenue discovered a 43-year-old male with several gunshot wounds to his torso, officials said. He was transported to Stroger Hospital, where he was declared dead, officials said.
A 34-year-old man was shot in the neck around 1 a.m. on Thursday in the 6200 block of South Laflin Street. He was transported to the University of Chicago, where he died, according to abc7chicago.
A guy was discovered shot to death Thursday afternoon in Roseland, on the South Side. Officers responded to a ShotSpotter complaint and discovered the guy, whose age was unknown, unresponsive in the 9300 block of South Lafayette Avenue around 2:10 p.m. He was shot in the chest and flank before being transferred to Roseland Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police.
