CHICAGO — The number of shooting victims through the first three months of 2016 stood at 800, nearly double the number last year, according to Chicago Police Department data.
Based on Chicago Police statistics, 411 people were shot through the first three months of 2015. Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement "the rate of senseless violence in Chicago remains unacceptably high."
Police statistics show that murders are up 72 percent over last year, with 141 killed this year compared to 82 last year.
DNAinfo's statistics — which take rulings from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office and other factors into account — show that at least 150 people were slain in the first three months of the year. That's the highest since 1998, when 150 people were murdered through March 31.
"The majority of the uptick in violence — driven primarily by gang members and committed with illegal guns — is largely occurring in five districts on the South and West sides of the city," Guglielmi said.
Earlier this week, a DNAinfo analysis of city shootings found that 2016 has by far been the bloodiest start to a year this decade.
With warmer — and traditionally more violent — months coming up, that puts Chicago on pace to have one of its most violent years in recent memory, a concern that Mayor Rahm Emanuel brought up in Monday's announcement of his choice for the city's police superintendent, Eddie Johnson.
"We have a level of shootings and level of gun violence on the South and the West side that is unacceptable," the mayor said. He said Johnson has "all those qualities" to help stem the violence while improving morale in the Police Department.
“While CPD will remain tireless in its efforts to hold criminals accountable for their actions, we all have a part to play in creating a safer Chicago,” Johnson said Friday. “In the coming weeks and months, I plan on meeting with and listening to a range of Chicagoans — from activists and elected officials to ministers and parents — to find ways that we can come together to build mutual trust and lasting partnerships that will make our streets safer for everyone.”
Guglielmi said police will "focus law enforcement resources on repeat offenders while also offering these individuals other options through assistance and services, including job-training opportunities, counseling, or better housing."
Incidents during March included:
• A weeknight shooting in Austin that wounded four boys, ages 12 to 16.
• A daytime Back of the Yards shooting that wounded four people in front of a day care where children were napping.
• An evening shooting that ended with 13-year-old Zarriel Trotter, known for appearing in an anti-violence video, being critically injured by a stray bullet.
• A West Side shooting in which one man, 29-year-old Lamar Harris, shot three officers before being fatally shot by police.
While the mayor pointed out during his announcement that most of the gun violence was on the South and West sides, other parts of the city weren't spared this month.
A targeted shooting near the Division Blue Line "L" stop during evening rush hour resulted in the death of 19-year-old Cesar Perez. Five shootings took place Downtown.
And in North Center, a 17-year-old was shot in a gang incident.
Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th) said that while the North Center shooting was a random incident in the neighborhood, it spoke to wider issues of poverty, income inequality and other issues citywide.
"The building up of these issues over decades, and a lack of investment into struggling communities, leads us to where we are today. The amount of violence we see, hear and read about is heartbreaking," he said in a message he sent to ward residents.
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