Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling and Mayor Brandon Johnson reported in a Monday press conference that the number of shootings, totaling 109 victims from Thursday to Sunday, exceeded last year’s holiday weekend figures.
“These are 19 families whose lives are forever altered. Nineteen families woke up this morning without a son, daughter, mother, father, aunt, or uncle. Over 100 people whose lives will never be the same,” Mayor Johnson lamented.
The most recent fatal incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. Police discovered a 36-year-old man unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head on his kitchen floor during a well-being check. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Earlier, at around 5:30 a.m. Sunday, three men were injured in a shooting outside the University of Chicago Hospital. Witnesses reported seeing someone in a dark-grey SUV fire shot from the vehicle at several people near a parked car, initially appearing to be a targeted attack. The victims were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Among the weekend’s multiple-victim shootings was an incident at Columbus Park in the Austin neighborhood, where two individuals exchanged gunfire before fleeing. Seven people were shot in total, and a 40-year-old man succumbed to his injuries after driving himself to Stroger Hospital.
The youngest victim, 8-year-old Bryson Orr, was fatally shot along with two female relatives in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood. Two other children were also wounded in the incident.
“We cannot bring back these children. If we want to prevent such tragedies and avoid these kinds of press conferences in the future, every single person must step up. We need people to come forward. We need accountability. Help us help you,” Superintendent Snelling urged.
Additional police officers were deployed across Chicago during the extended holiday weekend to address the spike in violence. The police department also announced the establishment of an Emergency Services Assistance Center on Tuesday at Fosco Park to aid individuals traumatized by the weekend’s violence.
