CHICAGO — At least 30 people have been shot in Chicago over the first three days of the Democratic National Convention, six of them murders. Chicago police stepped up security during the convention this week, but violent crime remains a reality despite the removal of ugly homeless encampments and better-behaved members of the city’s undocumented immigrant community.
A 25-year-old Texas deputy was robbed at gunpoint early Wednesday morning, and the same suspect appears to have scammed two more people down the block, authorities said.
Chicago police said 10 people were shot, one of them fatally, on Wednesday, the third day of the Democratic National Convention, and there were also reports of stabbings.
Anti-Israel protests near the Democratic National Convention continue for a third night in a row, with crowds growing larger.
There were 12 shooting victims on Tuesday, including one homicide.
As the Democratic National Convention kicked off on Monday, police responded to eight shootings and four homicides, according to authorities.
“Right now, we’re seeing twice as many murders per week as New York City. Chicago has less than a third of New York’s population,” said former NYPD Inspector Paul Mauro, citing city police statistics that show there have been a total of three murders this week, in addition to the shootings.
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Just 2.8 miles from the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center, a handful of immigrants were working odd jobs and selling candy to earn cash on Thursday afternoon in an alleyway.
A local law enforcement source told Fox News Digital that several people in the alley were “most likely” gang members, but that authorities did not expect any major trouble from them.
“They know they have to be on good behavior at the DNC,” the source said.
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“They know they have to be good at the Democratic National Convention.”
One migrant told Fox News Digital he arrived in Chicago about five months ago after a “very dangerous” journey north from Venezuela, where he was doing odd jobs in search of work.
Another man, who said he was placed on his ankle by immigration officials, told Fox News Digital that he was originally from Cuba but had crossed overland into the US from Peru, and that the ankle bracelet was making it difficult for him to find work.
The alley is across from a migrant shelter and local residents have complained about suspected gang members and litter in the upscale commercial area.
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Several men approached Fox News Digital and asked the reporters to stop taking photos and leave.
“From what I saw in New York, they were brokering women and children to sell candy,” Mauro said. “This is a common way for immigrants to make money, especially in urban transit systems. Any New Yorker has seen this on the subway.”
In Chicago, drivers are also being targeted, said former Chicago Police Chief Gene Roy.
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“It’s now all the rage for migrants to sell candy at major intersections,” he told Fox News Digital. “What I’ve seen is mostly women with young children in backpacks.”
Bulls merchandise and tattoos are common in Chicago, but federal authorities warn they are also being adopted by Venezuelan gang members who are not fans of the team.
City officials had removed several tent cities around Chicago months before delegates were due to arrive to celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris being named the party’s nominee for the 2024 presidential election.
But despite the presence of party elites in town, crime continues to plague the city.
The weekend before the tournament, there were 26 shootings, 30 people injured, five of them fatally.
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nevertheless, The Chicago Tribune reported. Earlier this year, Chicago found that while arrests of immigrants were on the rise, most of the arrests were for nonviolent crimes such as property theft.
“Our officers are on the ground. They’re out there. They’re highly visible. And we have officers not only along our downtown corridors and in and around the Democratic National Convention site, but in our neighborhoods as well, continuing to protect our residents who live in our most vulnerable communities,” Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling said at a press conference on Monday. “Our officers are protecting the entire city.”
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
