Crime: Chicago records eight shooting deaths in one weekend

Gun violence in Chicago continues unabated. In just one weekend, 54 people were injured and eight killed as a result of the constant shootings in the city. Chicago has recorded a record379 homicides so farin 2022, according to Datalytics:

Weekend of terror

One of the gun violence crimes recorded this weekend is that of a 29-year-old man shot and killed on a CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) railcar. According to police, an individual fired shots at around 2:05 a.m. The victim was transported to the hospital with gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen, hours later, he was pronounced dead. Police did not provide further information about the shooting.

Approximately one hour and a few minutes later, a 26-year-old man was shot and killed while with a group of people in a parking lot. The attack occurred around 3:15 a.m. Saturday. The man was struck in the chest and was taken to the Hospital, where he died. No one is in custody and area detectives are investigating. Police did not provide further information about the shooting.

And just five minutes later, a 29-year-old man who was killed around 3:20 a.m. Saturday in another parking lot. "The victim remained in his car when someone opened fire," police said. The 29-year-old suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to hospital, where he died.

On Sunday, a 43-year-old man was killed while standing in the street in East Garfield Park. The event occurred at approximately 12:22 a.m. When an assailant fired. He suffered chest injuries and was transported to the hospital where he died. No arrests were reported and detectives in the area are investigating the case, police said.

Another man was fatally shot Sunday afternoon in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. The victim was found on the street at about 2:35 p.m. He was shot in the chest and transported to the Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said, "Area 4 detectives are investigating."

The information provided by the security forces shows three chilling aspects: all of the homicides reported are within hours or even minutes, the police have not arrested any offenders, and they only report that detectives in the area are investigating.

Chicago police without support

Chicago suffered one of its deadliest years in 2021. According to police data, there were more than 700 homicides. Ft was the first time the office had handled so many murders since 1994. Most of the deaths and shootings are concentrated in the heavily segregated western and southern areas of the city.

There has been a decrease in arrests by the police, and they occur after radical changes were made in the way the streets were patrolled. Chicago Sun-Times reported that this new policy includes restricting vehicle pursuits or ending foot pursuits if the suspect commits a misdemeanor. Police have already been ordered to stop making arrests for offenses such as possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The superintendent of the Chicago Police DepartmentDavid Brown, announced at a press conference that he will be was to reinforce Chicago's security, especially violence in the means of transportation: "It is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. No resident should think twice about their safety anywhere in our neighborhoods." Brown also said the department will deploy more officers to the CTA (Chicago Transportation Authority) but, declined to say how many officers will be deployed.

All this creates a tragic climate, when violence has been growing steadily since 2020, especially homicides. And this, in the midst of the progressive current that has insisted on defunding the police, after death by George Floyd in the summer of 2020. Advocates of this movement seek to pressure leaders to reallocate police department dollars to other resources such as mental health programs.