CHICAGO — Despite a highly touted plan by Chicago police to combat crime for the Fourth of July, over 100 people were shot, more than a dozen of them fatally, during the long holiday weekend.
Among those shot since Friday were two young girls, ages 6 and 5, and two Chicago police officers who were breaking up a large crowd that had gathered on the city’s Far West Side.
Bullets have struck six children in total over the weekend.
“We’ve seen too many times tragically someone else was being targeted and the innocent child is struck,” Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said during a press conference Monday while checking on the conditions of his officers, a commander and sergeant, who were both wounded by gunfire.
The high level of gun violence has some community activists calling for the resignation and/or firing of Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown.
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“The superintendent keeps regurgitating the old playbook expecting for different results,” says Eric Russell.
“If policing kept us safe, we would be the safest community in the country, and clearly we are not,” added Cate Reading.
Overnight, two men – a 21-year-old and a 26-year-old – were killed, and a 12-year-old girl was critically injured in a shooting in Washington Park. A 13-year-old boy was also wounded. Police said the shooting took place in the 6100 block of South Wabash around 1:05 a.m. A person drove by a group of dozens of people and fired shots.
Community members identified one of the two male victims killed as 21-year-old Victor Jones.
“It is my understanding that it was a party. He was called out. His mom didn’t want him to come out, and he came anyway, and this was the end result,” said community activist Bamani Obadele.
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A 29-year-old woman and a 34-year-old woman were also wounded, police said.
In all, six people were shot in the incident, the latest mass shooting for Chicago.
“It’s always some gathering in that parking lot,” Breesha Williams said. “I don’t know why it’s like that in our community. When it’s a gathering, it’s a shooing. You can see the people having a great time, and next thing you know, everybody crying.”
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Now, the community is pointing the finger at the city’s top cop.
“We ask each and every individual throughout all of our community to get on top of your aldermen and call for a no-confidence vote in Superintendent Brown,” said BLM Chicago’s Troy Gaston.
