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Bloody July 4 Weekend Feared After June Ends In Surge Of Violence

By Kelly Bauer | June 30, 2016 2:44pm | Updated on July 1, 2016 8:49am
 Long weekends typically see a spike in violence in Chicago (this Memorial Day weekend alone saw six people killed and 63 wounded in shootings), but the Fourth of July can be a particularly explosive weekend. 
Long weekends typically see a spike in violence in Chicago (this Memorial Day weekend alone saw six people killed and 63 wounded in shootings), but the Fourth of July can be a particularly explosive weekend. 
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Getty Images/Scott Olson

CHICAGO — It could be a bloody holiday weekend for the city.

Long weekends typically see a spike in violence in Chicago (this Memorial Day weekend alone saw six people killed and 63 wounded in shootings), but the Fourth of July can be a particularly explosive weekend. 

Just last year, when many had Friday off for the holiday, there were 45 shootings that left 10 people dead and 52 wounded, according to a DNAinfo Chicago analysis. Police had planned to have "all hands on deck" to prevent that violence. 

Before that, in 2014, there were 57 shootings that left 12 people dead and 55 wounded over the long Independence Day weekend.

The weekend comes after a bloody June for Chicago, when 72 people were murdered and 447 people were gunshot victims, the Chicago Police Department announced Friday. In total, 361 shootings were reported. 

Police said 85 percent of those victims were on the department's list of high-risk Chicagoans. 

RELATED: 'An Orlando Every Month': Shootings Up 50 Percent In Chicago For June

Here's a look at how violence played out during recent Fourth of July long weekends:

 

An analysis by the Chicago Tribune found that Fourth of July weekends are typically the most violent for the city.

This year, police are planning a crackdown to decrease weekend violence. They've made efforts throughout the spring and summer to cut back on crime, but shootings continue to climb.

In a statement announcing June crime numbers, which included a more than 50 percent increase in shootings, department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said police are targeting gang members, working with state police to patrol highways, pulling 150 officers off desk duty and getting more officers out of their cars and on bikes or on foot.

"I think the important message is that the Police Department has sat down and has come up with a comprehensive and detailed plan to put extra officers on the street over the holiday weekend and beyond to minimize the potential for crime to occur," said Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy at an unrelated news conference on Thursday. 

"The thing to do is to reassure the public that police are out there and the police are determined to make this a safe weekend."

Police are expected to announce more details about how they'll combat weekend violence during a Friday morning news conference.

Check back for updates.

 Long weekends typically see a spike in violence in Chicago (this Memorial Day weekend alone saw six people killed and 63 wounded in shootings), but the Fourth of July can be a particularly explosive weekend. 
Long weekends typically see a spike in violence in Chicago (this Memorial Day weekend alone saw six people killed and 63 wounded in shootings), but the Fourth of July can be a particularly explosive weekend. 
View Full Caption
Getty Images/Joshua Lott

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