Source: The New American

Reprinted with permission from TheNewAmerican.com.

At least 52 people were shot and 10 were murdered in the most violent weekend in Chicago thus far in 2019. Eight of the murder victims were shot, and two were stabbed. The violence eclipsed that of the long Memorial Day weekend in which 43 were shot, seven of them fatally.

Chicago police believe that most of the people shot were targeted by gangs. Deputy Chief Al Nagode, who oversees the city’s west side where much of the violence emanated from, said the shootings were “not random” and appear to be motivated by a disputed open-air drug market in the city.

At least two of the murders were likely incidents of domestic violence, according to the Chicago police.

“I can tell you, weekends like this, all our officers take this very personal,” Nagode said. “We faced formidable challenges with gang factions settling conflicts with gun violence.”

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson called the weekend violence “despicable” and said it shows that “the challenges we face are complex and profound.”

“I know I speak for everyone at CPD when I say we take these shootings seriously, and there’s a heightened sense of urgency and care when it comes to gun violence in this city,” Johnson said during a Monday press conference.

More than half the victims were murdered or wounded in a twelve-hour stretch beginning Friday night and extending into Saturday morning. According to Johnson, the violence began on the city’s west side and spilled into downtown. Violence also flared on the city’s south side and moved into other neighborhoods as the night went on.

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