Chicago City Wire

Chicago City officials are expressing concern over the ongoing surge in violent crime, particularly shootings, throughout the city.

Over the Father's Day weekend, 75 people were shot and 13 died in multiple shooting incidents on the South and West sides of Chicago. Incidents included a fatal shooting at a Father's Day gathering and the injuries of a 17-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy in separate occurrences. Fred Waller, interim superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, attributed the increase in violence to the warmer weather and acknowledged the need for the department to improve its efforts in combating the issue.

"As more people are out in the summertime, we know that some of those people have people that are against them or have conflicts with those people," Waller said in a Tuesday report from The Center Square. "That's what happened. Somebody came by and just opened fire on the whole group. Our heart goes out to the families. We just need to do better. Try a little harder.”

Waller noted that Mayor Brandon Johnson is concerned about gun violence in the city.

"Well, he's concerned," Waller said. "He knows that there is a challenge in front of us and that it is a great challenge."

Included among the victims over the weekend was a father of four who was killed during a Father's Day park gathering, ABC News reported on Tuesday. The shootings occurred in various neighborhoods across the city, and several teenagers were also injured. Although homicides and shootings had been declining in Chicago this year compared to 2022, the violent weekend marked one of the most severe incidents, surpassing Memorial Day weekend. The shootings included instances of car-to-car gunfire, a fight that escalated into gunfire, and targeted attacks. Investigations are ongoing, and no arrests have been made in many of the cases.

Johnson, who took office in May, acknowledged the inherited challenge but claimed that his administration's focus on strategic policing and violence prevention initiatives is already yielding positive results. The weekend's shootings highlight the persistent problem of gun violence in Chicago, with city officials grappling to find effective solutions to curb the rising crime rates. The incidents have prompted concerns about public safety and the need for enhanced law enforcement measures. The recent increase in crime – coupled with rising aggravated batteries, burglaries and car thefts – underscores the urgency of finding sustainable solutions to ensure the safety and well-being of Chicago residents.

Within the first month of Johnson's term, the city experienced a significant increase in crime, with a 38% spike compared to the same period last year, according to a recent Washington Examiner report. Vehicle thefts saw a staggering increase of 153%, aggravated battery rose by 17%, burglary jumped by 12% and shootings rose by 5%. The only exception was a 5% decrease in murders, which accounted for just three fewer fatalities. 

Despite social media posts focusing on other topics, there has been minimal attention given to public safety and crime-related issues. Johnson's previous support for defunding the police and lack of action on the crime wave raises questions about his approach to addressing this critical issue.