Statistics may show Chicago’s homicide rate is down to levels not seen since the 1960’s, but parts of the city are still a war zone, residents of the South and West sides said after another bloody Fourth of July weekend.
Eleven people have been killed and another 60 wounded in gun violence over the holiday weekend, according to Chicago Police. Two more were shot dead by police. While the boom of fireworks could be heard across the city, in places like West Englewood, South Shore, and Austin, the bang of gunshots seemed almost as common.
All those killed were African American or Hispanic men, age 35 or younger. Two – Shaquille Ross, 18, and Kezon Lamb, 19 – were teenagers. Just four shootings occurred on the North Side. But in West Englewood alone, one man was killed and eight others were shot.
“I gotta get out of here. In Englewood it’s looking like everybody is gonna be dead,” said Patricia Donald, 17, a recent graduate of Englewood High School whose car was once caught in gang crossfire, and who is moving to Oklahoma to attend college in the Fall. “It’s just kids shooting at each other,” she said, adding that while shooters may have gang ties, it’s often personal beefs that lead to gunfire.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new playground on the South Side Sunday afternoon, Mayor Rahm Emanuel declined to comment on the violence. But police spokesman Martin Maloney said that so far this year Chicago has its lowest homicide rate since 1963, adding that “one victim is one too many.”
Update: As we learn more, the true scope of this weekend horror gets revealed. Authorities new approximate that 82 were wounded, with 14 losing their lives. It is a terrible tragedy and a serious wake up call for the nation.
– Scott Randell (@iamscottrandell)
