Chicago shootings: July 4th weekend sees more than 100 people shot, 19 killed

The Fourth of July weekend explosion of gun violence left 19 people dead and more than 100 injured in a four-day spree across the Windy City, police said.

The victims included two women, Niexia Strong, 45, and Capri Edwards, 24, who lost their lives trying to protect their children from gunfire on Independence Day. FOX 32 Chicago According to reports, bullets struck all three boys in the car, ages 5, 8 and 8, killing one of the boys.

“There was also a 1-year-old child inside the home who was fortunately not injured but was traumatized by this incident,” Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters at a press conference Monday morning.

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All of those casualties were from a single shooting, as police responded to dozens of incidents over the weekend, including one in Little Italy that left eight people, ranging in age from 18 to 74, injured.

We need people to stand up. We need people to step up. We need people to take responsibility. Help us help you. We want to get these people off the streets.

— Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling

“These aren’t just numbers on a page. These aren’t just headlines,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at a news conference. “These are our Chicagoans, our neighbors, our families who have lost their lives.”

Liberal Illinois prosecutor Kim Foxx was assaulted near her home, court records show.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, speaking to reporters in Chicago on Jan. 29, 2024, blamed illegally purchased firearms for widespread deadly violence in the city, in which more than 100 people were shot, 19 killed, over the Fourth of July weekend. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Snelling condemned the “brazenness” of the suspect in breaking into homes and shooting women and children, and made repeated appeals for residents to come forward with any information.

“Think again, of all the kids that are getting shot in our city,” he said. “Someone knows something. Someone knows who is responsible for these crimes. It’s really important that we work with the community and that the community understands that we’re trying to work with them.” [them]”

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Chicago Police want to get violent criminals off the streets and behind bars, and they’re asking for witnesses to help them make that happen. (Beata Saursel/NurPhoto)

He also subtly criticized parts of Illinois’ progressive bail reforms that allow more suspects to be released from jail before trial, saying he was focused on victims.

“We need to get them off the streets and keep them off the streets so they don’t destroy other families,” he said.

Governor Johnson vowed to impose tough penalties on violent criminals, blaming “generations of underinvestment” and illegally purchased guns, citing a 16-year-old boy who owned an AK-47 as contributing to Chicago’s culture of violence.

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Such individuals have a history of violence long before they illegally acquire weapons, he said.

“We will not allow our city to be destroyed and damaged by criminal acts,” he added.

Chicago will host the 2024 Democratic National Convention. (Brian Casella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Just a month later, the city is scheduled to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Leaders hope that by sealing off the security area and significantly increasing security, the city’s violence will be hidden from view for the duration of the event.

Police statistics show that homicides are down for the second straight year after increases in 2020 and 2021, but violent crime overall is up in the Windy City, led by an increase in robberies. Annual auto thefts are nearly tripling between 2020 and 2023, from 9,910 to 29,287.