Chicago experienced another bloody weekend. Between Friday night and Saturday, at least 34 people were shot, and eight of them killed, according to ABC7 Chicago.
The weekend leading up to Memorial Day has sharply surpassed last weekend, when 23 people were shot and one was killed. It is even worse than the previous one, which ended with 26 gunshot victims and eight deaths. In total, according to the same media outlet, there have been 693 homicides in Chicago in the last 12 months up to May 20.
One of Saturday's fatalities was found blocks from the home of brand new Mayor Brandon Johnson. The victim is a woman whose age is unknown. Police found her dead after midnight on West Chicago Avenue in the Austin neighborhood, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
Another incident over the weekend ended with an officer wounded after his own gun accidentally went off. The off-duty officer’s gun was fired accidentally at a River North hotel, according to police told CBW News Chicago. The bullet wounded his left hand and then went into the stomach of another man who was in the twelfth floor room of the Chicago Hotel. Both men, aged 23 and 25 respectively, were transported to the hospital.
Beware of sunburns and gunshots
With the unofficial start of summer kicking off this Memorial Day weekend also comes the start of summer violence.
A huge brawl involving a hundred teenagers on North Avenue Beach forced authorities to close the beach just hours after it opened. During a fist fight, one teenager pulled out a gun and fired a shot, which missed and didn’t cause any damage. One of the teens was taken into police custody, according to the New York Post.
CHAOS AT NORTH AVENUE BEACH IN CHICAGO
Video caught by @nbcchicago shows the moment shots were fired during a gang fight at North Ave Beach near Lincoln Park.
Police then chased gang members through Lincoln Park near the Latin School as children played (see next tweet) pic.twitter.com/LBKTdJiRif
— 16th & 17th District Chicago Police Scanner (@CPD1617Scanner) May 26, 2023
Only hours after city beaches opened for the season, North Ave Beach was closed after shots were fired.
Video shared with the Tribune shows a CPD officer driving through a busy park in pursuit of a suspect.https://t.co/zXBkwD8RzF pic.twitter.com/TH7bi32QYE
— Sam Charles (@samjcharles) May 26, 2023
