Holiday weekend provides no respite from
Chicago's violence
Send a link to a friend
[December 28, 2016]
By Timothy Mclaughlin
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago's holiday
weekend was marred by bouts of gunfire and a dozen killings, continuing
a yearlong surge in violence in the third largest U.S. city that has
pushed the number of murders to a nearly two-decade high.
Police blamed gang conflicts for much of the violence.
From Dec. 23 through Dec. 26, there were 44 shooting incidents in the
city of 2.7 million and 12 people were killed, according to the Chicago
Police Department. The number of murders in Chicago stands at 754 for
the year.
The murder rate is the highest since 1997, when 761 people were killed.
"These were deliberate and planned shootings by one gang against
another," Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at news conference on
Monday. "They were targeted knowing fully well that individuals would be
at the homes of family and friends celebrating the holiday."
Ninety-percent of those fatally wounded during the weekend had gang
affiliation, criminal history and were pre-identified by technology used
by the police department to recognize people who might be involved in
gun violence, Johnson said.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Dec/28/images/ads/current/christian_village_sda_031616.png)
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/ads/current/richardson_lda_090916.png)
Johnson, who was appointed as the city's top police officer in
March, has railed this year against the light sentences handed down
to repeat gun offenders, saying they have emboldened shooters who do
not fear the repercussions.
At an event for business and civic leaders earlier this month,
Johnson said gang members believe the judicial system in Cook
County, which includes Chicago, is a joke.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Dec/28/images/ads/current/lincolntheatre_sda_031016.png)
Johnson also has spoken out against what he has described as a
national narrative that portrays police officers in a negative
manner.
His own department, which is under a federal civil rights
investigation, is working to rebuild trust in the city after a
string of high-profile incidents that lead to his predecessor being
ousted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
(Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin; Editing by Bill Trott)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |