The joy of Independence Day in Chicago was overshadowed by violence that gripped the city, where at least 104 were people shot and 19 killed so far, making it the most violent and deadliest weekend of 2021.
Two Chicago police supervisors were among the injured, as were at least 13 children, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Both the number of fatal shootings and the number of shootings overall are highs for 2021, according to a Chicago Sun-Times database of shootings. By 5 p.m. Monday, Chicago had recorded 2,000 shootings this year,” according to the Sun-Times’ database.
Last month, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot claimed crime “is not out of control” in the city. The mayor’s response came after a Newsmax reporter asked about “off-the-charts” violent crime.
“The premise of your question, which is it’s chaos everywhere, the fact of the matter is, sir – which you also didn’t point out, but I will so we get this straight – is we’re actually seeing a decline in homicides and shootings, yes sir,” Lightfoot replied, according to The Police Tribune.
After a back and forth, Lightfoot asked the reporter to get his “facts right.”
“Crime is not out of control in our city. In fact, crime is on the decline. All of our major indices show a decline in crime and our homicides and our shootings, year after year, are down,” she added.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot: “Crime is not out of control in our city. In fact, crime is on the decline.”
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 30, 2021
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Chicago police data showed only six fewer killings in the first half of 2021 compared to the same time last year but the number of people shot and shooting incidents increased.