Twenty-Four Shootings, Five Murders Reported In One Chicago Weekend

Whitney Tipton on April 8, 2019

Chicago saw a spike in gun crime over the weekend, with 24 shootings and five murders reported, including a disturbance at a baby shower that left one child critically wounded.

The incidents took place from 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday evening, as reported by CNN and confirmed by the Chicago Police Department. It is an increase from the same time last year, when police reported 18 shootings and four murders over the same period.

The baby shower shooting occurred Saturday during a party in the front yard of an Englewood home. Two men approached the gathering and allegedly opened fire, wounding two children, one critically, The Chicago Sun-Times reported. Both were reported to be in stable condition. The shooters fled on foot, according to the police, and the matter is under investigation.

“Cooperation has been very limited with detectives, and based on victim profiles we suspect this could have been a possible retaliatory shooting from an earlier incident that stemmed from an ongoing gang conflict in that neighborhood,” said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot is “heartbroken” about the incident, according to a tweet she posted. Lightfoot had predicted the warmer weather would lead to a rise in violent crime, saying she would wait to evaluate police Superintendent Eddie Johnson until the summer season is over.

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DCwire features investigative reporting syndicated with permission from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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