Gun control in Chicago failing: 70 shot, over 10 dead
Law enforcement officials say that Chicago, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the United States, experienced a shocking weekend of gun violence as dozens of people were shot, many fatally.
ABC 7 Chicago reports that from Friday at 5 p.m. through Sunday night at least 63 people were shot, with at least 10 dying from their injuries. The Sun Times updated the data, reporting the toll is at 70 shot, 11 dead.
“Three people were shot Friday evening, 14 were shot Saturday, 47 were shot Sunday and six were shot early Monday, capping off the weekend, which began 5 p.m. Friday and ended 5 a.m. Monday.”
One paramedic reportedly described the streets of Chicago as being “a war zone.”
“We know that some of these incidents were targeted and are related to gang conflicts in those areas,” Chicago Police Chief of Patrol Fred Waller said on Sunday. “They take advantage of that opportunity and they shoot into a crowd, no matter who they hit.”
“Detectives are working around the clock to investigate the incidents, build a timeline of events and identify any shooter,” said Chicago Police Chief of Patrol Fred Waller. “We’ll also be conducting coordinated enforcement missions to target individuals that are driving the violence in these areas and focus on where we believe retaliatory violence may occur.”
ABC summarized the scene in the city “…crowds of different grieving families gathered in the parking lots of emergency rooms across the city as hospitals were inundated with patients wounded by bullets.”