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Police are investigating a shooting that took place Friday morning in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood.
CNN
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Chicago was hit by a wave of gun violence over the July 4 long weekend, with 102 people shot, including at least a dozen fatalities, according to police reports.
From 6 p.m. on July 3 to 6 a.m. on July 7, at least 100 people were hit by gunfire, and 17 of them died from their wounds, according to the Chicago Police Major Incident Notifications system. Two more people were shot later on July 7, police said.
The number of shootings over Independence Day weekend in Chicago this year is up 27% from last year: In 2023, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that at least 73 people were shot over the four-day weekend, 11 of whom were killed.
In the United States, statistics from law enforcement agencies and independent researchers have consistently pointed to the summer months as a time of increased gun violence. The period from July 1 to 7 is a particularly violent period each year due to both mass shootings and individual incidents.
July 4 itself was responsible for more mass shootings in the U.S. than any other calendar day in about a decade, according to a 2023 CNN analysis of the Gun Violence Archive’s mass shooting data since 2014. The day with the second most shootings was the day after — July 5.
Heat can increase discomfort and aggression, experts say, potentially fueling violence at a time when children are out of school and warmer weather is pushing people outdoors in a country with more guns than people.
On Friday, after dozens of people were shot in Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson issued a statement addressing the violence.
“We are devastated by the recent violence that has left our city in a state of mourning, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and communities affected by these recent events,” Johnson said in the statement. “The City of Chicago is committed to ensuring the safety of all residents and visitors.”
The city had canceled police officer time off to “maximize presence and ensure rapid response to incidents,” activated an emergency operations center to support people in the community and held a community meeting Friday afternoon to “promote bonding, support and healing,” Johnson said.
But the efforts did not end the shootings.
One of those killed over the weekend was an 8-year-old boy, who was shot along with two other boys, ages 5 and 8, according to online records from the Chicago Police Department.
According to police, several 15 and 16 year olds were also shot last weekend.
In another case, eight people between the ages of 18 and 74 were injured by a gunshot wound, and in another incident, seven people between the ages of 15 and 40 were shot. The 40-year-old died, police said.
CNN has reached out to the mayor’s office and Chicago police for comment and additional information on the long weekend shooting.
A total of 617 homicides were reported in the city in 2023, though Chicago Police Department data showed the number of homicides that year fell 13% compared to the year before, when 709 people were killed.