Chicago shootings and killings increased sharply in June compared to the same time last year.
Police data shows that Chicago shootings increased by 75% in June 2020 compared to June 2019, and murders in the city increased by 78%, according to NBC 5 Chicago.
In June this year, 424 people were shot and 89 were killed, compared to 242 shootings and 50 murders during the same month last year.
Last weekend alone, gun violence killed more than a dozen people, including three children. Twelve people died over Father’s Day weekend, including a 3-year-old boy.
The city plans to deploy 1,200 additional officers over the weekend of July 4, according to WGN TV.
When asked about the increase in violence, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat, said it was a “complicated” question and suggested that gun control is the answer.
“That’s a complicated question,” said Lightfoot. “We have too many weapons on the streets.”
Lightfoot also suggested that the coronavirus closures that kept people indoors for months played a role in creating a “perfect storm,” while pointing to George Floyd’s death as an event that sparked anger in the community.
President of the Fraternal Police Order, John Catanzara, attributed some of the blame to local officials, including Lightfoot, for criticizing the police and making it difficult for them to work.
“When the top official in this city is blaming the police for everything that is wrong, to hide their inefficiencies and inadequacies, it definitely makes people stop and ask, ‘What am I doing? I’m going home? Am I going to have a job tomorrow? Am I going to be in jail next week? “Catanzara said.
Police said crime in the city overall decreased 9% through the end of June, but did not provide general data on June crime specifically.
