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10 Killed, at Least 52 Wounded Over July 4 Weekend in Chicago

By  Josh McGhee and Bettina  Chang | July 6, 2015 1:26pm 

 Last year, 13 people were killed and 70 wounded in shootings over the holiday weekend.
Last year, 13 people were killed and 70 wounded in shootings over the holiday weekend.
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DNAinfo/ Devlin Brown

CHICAGO — Despite the Chicago Police Department's attempts to reduce the high levels of violence that plagued last year's July 4th weekend, 10 people were fatally shot including a 7-year-old boy and at least 52 were wounded in shootings this weekend, police said.

Last year, 13 people were killed and 70 wounded in shootings over the holiday weekend, prompting Police Supt. Garry McCarthy to ensure an increased police presence Friday and Saturday nights. He promised an "all hands on deck" strategy where they would "aggressively" enforce smaller violations such as public drinking.

Since Sunday morning, three people were killed and 15 people were hospitalized in shootings across the city, according to Officer Jose Estrada, a Chicago Police spokesman.

Around 6:10 a.m. Sunday, two men from Jefferson City, Mo., were shot and killed while sitting inside a Chevrolet SUV in the 8000 block of South Bishop Street in Auburn Gresham when a man walked up and opened fire, police said.

John L. Hunter, 25, and Willie Hunter, 31, were killed in the incident, officials said.

Around 4 p.m., 48-year-old Anthony Cross was fatally shot in his chest near his Calumet Heights home.

Most recently, a 22-year-old man was shot multiple times in an alley in Austin. Around 2:25 a.m. Monday, the man was shot in the right side of his face and both legs while standing in the 400 block of North Cicero Avenue, Estrada said.

He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious condition, Estrada said.

Around 12:50 a.m., a 22-year-old man was shot while standing near his car in a gas station in Garfield Park. The man was standing in the 3700 block of West Harrison Street when he was shot in his right arm. He was taken to West Suburban Hospital, where his condition stabilized, Estrada said.

Around the same time, another 22-year-old man was shot in Auburn Gresham. Around 12:30 a.m., a 52-year-old man was shot in Grand Crossing. Four people were also wounded in separate shootings hours apart in Chatham Sunday.

Around 3:40 p.m., a 24-year-old man was shot as he stood on the street in the 10600 block of South Prairie Avenue on the Far South Side in Roseland when a man got out of a car and opened fire, Estrada said.

The man was shot in his right armpit and taken to Roseland Hospital. From there he was transferred to Christ in serious condition, Estrada said.

Around 2:35 p.m., a 22-year-old man was shot in Back of the Yards.

Looking frustrated Sunday afternoon, McCarthy attributed much of the violence to lax gun laws. McCarthy displayed an array of firearms on a table at the press conference, saying that Chicago Police seized "about one illegal gun per hour" over the weekend.

"I expect that number will increase as we tally our official figures," he added Sunday afternoon.

Between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Sunday, a 33-year-old man was shot in both of his legs in Humboldt Park and a 24-year-old man was shot in his stomach in Austin. Around 6 a.m. Sunday, three men were shot while stopped at a traffic light in Portage Park.

Saturday night, five people including a 7-year-old boy were fatally shot and 27 others were wounded.

Amari Brown, of the 500 block of North Drake Avenue in East Garfield Park, and a 26-year-old woman was wounded while walking home from a 4th of July celebration. Amari, 7, was shot in his chest and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead at 1:56 a.m., officials said.

Investigators believe that Amari's father, who police called a documented gang member, was the intended target. According to authorities, Brown's father was standing near his son and the woman when the shooting occurred.

McCarthy said that Amari's father, whom he called Mr. Brown, was a "ranking" gang member with a 22-page arrest record.

"I've never seen anything like this," he said, holding a stack of papers that he said was the arrest record. Amari's father had been arrested 45 times, McCarthy said, most recently in April for gun possession.

In Albany Park Sunday, a man was shot and killed, and two others were wounded while sitting in a van. Jeremy Spivey, 23, of the 4700 block of West Belmont Avenue, was shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at 4:03 a.m., officials said.

In South Shore, a 26-year-old man was sitting in a car when he was fatally shot early Sunday.

Between Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning, four people were killed and 11 were wounded in shootings.

Around 4:45 p.m. Friday, two teens were shot, one fatally, near the Bronzeville park named after slain 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton. About 1:20 a.m. Friday, a 46-year-old man was shot to death and another woman injured when someone inside a van opened fire in Washington Heights. And just after midnight Friday, 26-year-old Jose Hernandez was gunned down in the Back of the Yards on the same block where another man was wounded 9 hours earlier.

Around 6:25 p.m. Thursday, Joseph Gutierrez, 20, was killed riding his bicycle in Little Village, police said.


Mauricio Pena and Erica Demarest also contributed to this story.

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