The city of Chicago experienced a wave of violence over the Memorial Day weekend resulting in 51 residents being shot, 9 of which were killed, making it officially more deadly than Memorial Day 2021.
The Chicago Sun Times reported half of the shooting victims were wounded on the West Side, while the South Side had around 13 victims. The downtown area had four shooting victims. The 11th Harrison District experienced two mass shootings on Sunday.
In one mass shooting in Lawndale, five people, including a 16-year-old girl, were shot after gunmen opened fire on a crowd marking the two year anniversary of the death of another teenager who was killed in a shooting. A police source told the Times three different types of bullets were used in the firefight, including a caliber used in AK-47s and other rifles. Up to 97 evidence markers could be seen.
The weekend was the most violent since 2017, when seven people were killed and 45 people were wounded, according to the Times. Three people were killed and 34 people were wounded in shootings during Memorial Day weekend last year. The Chicago Police Department canceled all days off for officers in anticipation for the increase in shootings.
So far this year, 236 Chicago residents have been killed, with the vast majority from gunfire. Prior to the holiday weekend, a gun battle near where the Cabrini Green projects were located was caught on video.
A gun battle in broad daylight caught on video near the former site of the Cabrini Green projects
— 16th & 17th District Chicago Police Scanner (@CPD1617Scanner) May 27, 2022
pic.twitter.com/wUDDdHeuQD