Over 70 people were shot in shootings over the weekend in Chicago, 17 of whom were injured in two mass shootings.
On Sunday night, an unknown number of shooters opened fire along a busy commercial strip of the South Shore community in Chicago, hitting six people in the incident, including a 15-year-old boy who ran away from the gunfire even after he was shot in the leg.
Weekend Shooting
During a telephone interview on Monday, the 15-year-old boy's mother said the shooters outside did not care about who they were shooting, whether they were a father, a mother, the elderly, or children. They would shoot them innocent or not, added the mother, arguing the suspects were just trigger-happy criminals shooting everyone they see, per Chicago Tribune.
Apart from the injured teen, the gunfire killed a woman, who died near East 71st Street and South Chappel Avenue shortly before 9 p.m.
Two hours after the shooting near East 71st Street and South Chappel Avenue, an unknown number of shooters opened fire in a separate incident in the Marquette Park neighborhood. The shooting, which began at around 10:53 p.m., injured 11 more people, including another woman who died.
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The woman was allegedly an "innocent bystander" who was caught in a "gang conflict," according to the city's top cop. The victim was standing beside other people when three suspects emerged from an alley and fired shots into the crowd.
The woman suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. She was immediately taken to the University of Chicago Hospital but was later pronounced dead. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office did not disclose her age or identity.
Possible Gang-Related Incidents
"We do know that was an internal gang conflict that has transpired over a year and that there were individuals in the crowd that were targeted," Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said, as reported by NBC 5 Chicago. "One of the targeted individuals was struck by gunfire. The deceased woman was not targeted; she's an innocent bystander that was shot and killed by these gang members seeking retaliation."
Supt. Brown also revealed that the witnesses identified a car to the investigators. However, police said they did not obtain a license plate number or a description of the shooters.
At least 77 people have been shot in Chicago between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday. One person was also the victim of blunt force trauma in a homicide incident in a surge of violence across the city, according to CBS Local.
The recent shootings are now contributing to a growing concern of violence as the Fourth of July holiday weekend approaches. Brown said he is now asking local police to plan and prepare precision deployments, especially in areas where crime is prominent.
Part of the task force's strategy for this weekend is to have officers working overtime. This means days off are canceled.
Some advocacy groups, such as My Block, My Hood, My City, plan to curb violence and promote positivity in the communities affected by the weekend violence. They are now planning the Hit the Hood event, which relies fully on community input.
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