NBC News Chicago reports that nearly 60 people have been shot in Chicago over the weekend, with six of them dying from their injuries. Four of the fatalities were teenagers.
In a video on the page, Chicago’s police Superintendent Eddie Johnson explains that it is usually the same small group of people who are responsible for most of the shootings. He said they have three people of interest in custody who have been potentially involved with the shootings, and 83 illegally owned guns have been taken.
18 people were shot on Friday evening, 17 people were shot on Saturday, and another 18 were shot on Sunday.
In a statement Johnson said, “As long as we fail to create repercussions for carrying and using guns, or more importantly holding violent offenders accountable for their actions, we’re simply going to continue to have these discussions on Monday morning. … There is a small subset of people who [get] a slap on the wrist despite legislation we had passed last year for being a repeat gun offender and breaking the law. … These shootings are not random, they are fueled by gang conflicts. .. We continue to send the message that it is okay to commit these crimes.”
Almost 1,900 people have been shot in Chicago so far since the beginning of the year.