Another ‘war-zone’ weekend in Chicago: Five people shot dead and more than 50 wounded since Friday night – with victims including a three-year-old boy and three people at a ‘peace picnic’
So far this year over 1,800 people have been shot in the city’s violent crimewave
Seven people were shot at a playground ‘peace picnic’ on Saturday evening
Authorities have described the city as a ‘war zone’ with many calling for change
President Donald Trump blamed mayor Rahm Emanuel who he called ‘corrupt’
By GEORGE MARTIN
DAILYMAIL.COM
20 August 2018
At least 50 people have been shot with five people dying from their wounds in Chicago over the weekend.
The total number of people shot in the city this year recently passed 1,800 with authorities describing it as like a ‘war zone’.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, this weekend 18 people were shot on Friday evening, 23 on Saturday, and 21 were shot early Sunday.
While a single shooting Friday injured seven people, including a three-year-old boy in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side.
Three people were shot on Saturday night while attending a back to school ‘peace picnic’ in a playground in Seward Park in the city’s north side.
Witnesses said the situation turned ugly after a group of ‘intoxicated’ men turned up and started arguing with people at the picnic.
‘It’s senseless and should have never happened,’ event organizer Raymond Hatcher said.
‘We were doing well. Everything was going swell and then a group of guys who were not associated with us, came to the event intoxicated.’
Earlier this month, the city saw 12 people shot dead and 59 injured over the first weekend of August as President Donald Trump blamed mayor Rahm Emanuel’s lack of leadership for the crisis.
‘We must strengthen community bonds with law enforcement, including cities like Chicago that have been an absolute and total disaster,’ he said.
‘That’s bad stuff happening. And probably, I guess, you have to take it from the leadership, it’s called bad leadership.
‘He’s corrupt. He’s part of the problem in Chicago,’ Trump said. ‘Failure on jobs. Failure on taxes. He’s got to go.’
Despite its reputation, Chicago doesn’t have the highest murder rate in the US which is in St. Louis at 64.9 people per 100,000.
Atlanta, Washington, Oakland, Memphis and Kansas City all have higher violent crime rates. But Chicago’s total number of killings has been higher than both Los Angeles and New York.
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